Some teams use the beginning of the postseason as a rallying cry. Even if they limped into the tournament, there are undoubtedly teams who feel that they can play spoiler and go on a legitimate playoff run.
Embracing this mentality may be Fordham Men’s Basketball’s best bet after they ended their conference campaign with three straight losses, the final two coming with a 66-64 road loss to the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a disappointing 58-50 home loss to he University of Rhode Island on Senior Day.
Fordham outscored UMass 34-33 in the first half of last Wednesday’s contest, but did not finish the half particularly well. The boys from the Bronx jumped out to an 11-3 edge, and a pair of free throws from sophomore Joshua Rivera put them up 20-12 with 11:16 to play in the first act. But the Minutemen scored the next 7 points to make it a 20-19 game and battled their way toward the break.
UMass received stellar showings from the trio of seniors Josh Cohen and Matt Cross, and junior Rahsool Diggins. They combined for 50 of the team’s 66 total points and jointly shot 50% from behind the arc.
Fordham remained competitive in the second half thanks in large part to senior Kyle Rose. The guard posted a team-high 15 points and five assists, while also swiping four rebounds and collecting three assists.
Senior Abdou Tsimbila also enjoyed an efficient night. His 14 points and 10 boards earned him a double-double.
Senior Antrell Charlton and freshman Jahmere Tripp scored 12 points and 6 points, respectively, while senior Japhet Medor and sophomores Will Richardson, Elijah Grey and Romad Dean combined for only 11 points.
Five straight UMass points boosted the Minutemen’s lead to six, 64-58, with just over a minute left, but a 3-pointer from Rose and a Tsimbila bucket cut the Fordham deficit to one, 64-63, with eight ticks left on the clock.
Cross made two freebies a minute later, and then Medor drilled one of his own and purposely missed the second, making it a 66-64 game and setting up Fordham with a chance to either tie or win.
Unlike the recent game against George Mason, there would be no storybook ending for Rose or his Rams. Fordham inbounded the ball to Rose in front of their bench and the Maryland native got off a triple that just missed.
“You can’t ask for a better opportunity than that,” Rams head coach Keith Urgo said after the game. “Kyle Rose, just like Matt Cross, he’s earned the right to make some shots.”
Despite the way the Rams feel about the Minutemen, they entered Saturday’s regular-season finale against Rhode Island with a great deal to play for. In addition to the potential Atlantic 10 seeding ramifications, it was Senior Day at Rose Hill. Rose, Charlton, Albe Evans and Ogheneyole Akuwovo were all recognized before the game. Additionally, each of these players started.
As for the contest itself, the home Rams did not get off to a proficient start. They trailed 36-24 at the end of the initial 20 minutes and seemed to be caught off guard by juniors David Green and Jaden House.
Green posted 10 points and pulled down five rebounds, while House tallied 9 points. The pair flew around the court early and made it difficult for Fordham’s defense, juniors Luis Kortright, Zek Montgomery and Tyson Brown later aided them. Kortright put together a unique stat line which consisted of 4 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Montgomery scored 11 points and grabbed two rebounds, while Brown turned in a double-double consisting of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Fordham opened the second half with a 14-7 run to cut the Rhode Island lead to 5 points, but the Rams eventually went on an 11-1 run to build a commanding 54-39 lead with 6:05 remaining in regulation.
The seniors did not perform particularly well in their last home game, and it made an enormous difference. Rose compiled 4 points on a 1-9 shooting day, while Charlton provided 3 points on a rough 1-8 clip.
Medor and Richardson combined for 21 points, but it would not be enough to sweep the season series against Rhode Island.
“Sometimes that happens,” said Urgo. “We couldn’t make any shots today.”
With the losses, Fordham ends their season with a 6-12 conference mark and a 12-19 overall record. They’ll enter the A-10 tournament as the 12th seed and face the Davidson College Wildcats in the first round.
Fordham faced Davidson twice during the regular season and lost both affairs by 10 points or more. Urgo has said he felt Fordham gave one of their best defensive efforts of the season, but making a serious run in the A-10 tournament will require consistent play on both ends of the court.
“We need to get hot on the offensive end,” said Urgo. “And continue to play defense the way we have the last few games.”
