by Alvin Halimwidjaya
Fordham Men’s Basketball continued to struggle in conference play, losing to La Salle and St. Joseph’s this past week, which dropped their record to 1-6 in Atlantic 10 play and 6-13 overall.
On Wednesday, Jan. 17, Fordham started the first of its two road games in a contest against the La Salle Explorers. Senior guard Will Tavares was the leading scorer for the Rams with 18 points along with seven rebounds. Junior forward Prokop Slanina had 12 points and a career-high five steals, junior guard Joseph Chartouny notched eleven points, nine assists and five rebounds and senior guard Perris Hicks recorded ten points. For the Explorers, guard Isiah Deas had 15 points and forward Tony Washington had 14 points, with both players nabbing eight rebounds each.
Fordham started out poorly in the first half, going 3-14 from long range and allowing La Salle to shoot 55 percent from the field, including 5-9 from three-point range. The Explorers also made seven of eight free throws and went into halftime with a 44-31 lead. In the second half, La Salle started on a 12-4 run, pushing the lead to 56-35 with 15 minutes left in the final half. However, the Rams charged back with a 16-1 run of their own, cutting the lead to five at 62-57 with 7:39 left in the game. They were led by Tavares, who scored 16 of his points in the second half, as well as a renewed defensive mentality.
“The reason we were able to cut that lead down to five is because of the way we were helping each other and communicating on defense,” Chartouny said. “We all made sure we did our job and the rest came with it.”
However, despite Fordham’s best efforts, La Salle extended the lead once again and was in control until the buzzer and the final 75-67 margin.
The Rams then headed to St. Joseph’s on Saturday, Jan. 20 looking to rebound and right the ship in conference play. They got off to a good start, leading most of the first half. However, after leading 25-21 with 4:20 left, the Hawks went on a 7-2 run to close out the half and grab a 28-27 lead into the break. As the second half started, the Rams remained cold from the field, and St. Joseph’s pushed the lead 45-33 with 11 minutes left in the final half.
“We watched the film of this game [Monday] before practice,” Chartouny said. “The lack of effort on transition defense was really apparent. I think in order to get rid of those cold stretches, like not being able to make a 3, we should share the ball more and try to attack them at the rim. Simple as that.”
Fordham ended up cutting the deficit to no closer than eight points, and the Rams fell 68-46 to the Hawks. Chartouny and Slanina scored eleven points each; Slanina also had eight rebounds and two blocks, while Chartouny added seven rebounds, four assists and two steals to his point total. With their next game at home, the Rams will try to nab a desperately needed win against Rhode Island.
“I am trying to make sure that the guys who are playing are staying together,” Chartouny said. “Together in a sense where they need to communicate on defense, be positive and have each other’s back. We will not be able to come back to the winning road if we don’t start thinking this way. If we do, then the rest will come with it. But mainly, this is what I am trying to focus on when looking forward for [the game against Rhode Island].”
Fordham’s matchup against Rhode Island comes on Wedneday, Jan. 24 at the Rose Hill Gym.
