Basketball is a game of runs, but sometimes even the fiercest comeback attempt can simply run out of room to grow.
Such was the case this past Saturday when Fordham Men’s Basketball fell to the Cornell University Big Red 78-73 at the historic Rose Hill Gymnasium. The Ivy League squad’s measured first half helped them hold off a ferocious Rams’ rally in the second half.
Fordham began the game with an 11-4 lead, but the Big Red were able to stay within themselves and force a number of questionable shots and turnovers en route to what would be a key 23-2 scoring run.
Cornell received impressive performances from a number of players. Perhaps the most impactful showing came off the bench from junior guard Nazir Williams. The Nyack native posted a season high 15 points on an efficient 6-10 clip from the field. Additionally, Chris Manon, Cooper Noard and AK Okereke all enjoyed double figure scoring marks.
Fordham struggled to contain the Big Red in more ways than one. Cornell tallied 32 points in the paint and 35 bench points. By half, the group from Ithaca led 45-24. That lead would eventually bubble to as many as 27 points early in the second half.
Senior Jahpet Medor and sophomores Will Richardson, Joshua Rivera and Elijah Gray were instrumental to Fordham’s second-half resurgence, with the guards serving as the primary offensive contributors and the forwards acting as dual-purpose threats.
Medor followed up a solid debut with another double figure-scoring performance. The senior transfer put up 17 points on a high-volume, 5-14 shooting afternoon.
Richardson tallied 12 points in 25 minutes and enjoyed a greatly efficient 4-6 clip from the field.
Without senior Abdou Tsimbilia, who was out after tweaking his ankle in practice earlier this week, Fordham needed to find solutions in the paint. Rivera collected a team-high seven broads and also chipped in 12 points. Gray once again showed versatility on both ends. The sophomore grabbed three rebounds and also scored nine points.
One would be remiss if they did not also mention that graduate student Ogheneyole Akuwovo made his Fordham debut and secured four rebounds in 10 minutes of action.
The Rams’ comeback effort was largely fueled by hard-nosed defense. Once Fordham raised their level of intensity, the Big Red began to commit errors and take questionable shots. Seniors Kyle Rose and Antrell Charlton may have only scored six and three points respectively, but their presence and defensive acumen helped the boys from the Bronx remain competitive in what had seemed like a lost cause.
Fordham pulled back within single digits on the strength of a junior Zach Riley jumper with 6:42 to play, and later made it a one-possession game when Richardson completed a four-point play to turn the score to 69-66.
Cornell answered by scoring six of the game’s next seven points, but a Medor layup and a Charlton three-pointer once again made it a three-point game, 75-72, with a minute to go. The Big Red played an intelligent brand of ball to end the game, and were able to use the clock and the free throw line to ice a victory.
In addition to being stunned by a strong start from the Big Red, the Rams were out rebounded by Cornell and also shot a lower percentage from the free throw line. Despite all of these factors, Fordham almost found a way to complete a double-digit comeback.
Regardless of the validity of “moral victories,” it’s clear that this Fordham squad can simply find ways to stay competitive. Their first two games have resulted in a split, and while it remains to be seen if the men in maroon will become more consistent from the charity stripe or put together more “complete” performances, their effort and willingness to compete has afforded them time to work out the wrinkles in their game.
The Rams will travel to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam where they’ll play three games in four days. The stretch begins on Friday with an afternoon contest against the Norfolk State University Spartans.
