Taking a small step forward only means so much if it is followed by a step back.
Fordham Men’s Basketball will have to face this reality following their most recent road split. They defeated the University of Rhode Island Rams 71-68 last Wednesday, but fell to the Duquesne University Dukes 68-59 this past Saturday.
The boys from the Bronx did not get off to a hot start against Rhode Island. Spurred by a physical first act that saw them get to the free throw line 15 times (and make 11 attempts), the New England Rams led by seven with 1:48 to play in the opening half. Fordham managed to finish the half well. They scored the final four points of the initial 20 minutes, three of which came courtesy of a triple from senior Kyle Rose. The spurt cut the Rhode Island lead to three at the break, and set the tone for the second half.
“We managed to fight back and not hang our heads,” head coach Keith Urgo said after the contest. “I thought the last two or three minutes of the first half was huge for us.”
The visiting Rams opened the second half with a 12-5 scoring run. A Will Richardson three-pointer allowed the Fordham Rams to take a 43-39 lead. On the whole, Fordham was led by Rose, who tallied a career-high 24 points on an efficient 8-12 clip from the field. The Maryland native also supplied six rebounds, three assists and two steals in what was his program-leading 127th career game.
“Everyone knows about his defensive prowess,” Urgo said of Rose. “Now he’s added so much depth with his offensive game. He’s shooting at a high clip. He’s playing with a lot of confidence.”
Antrell Charlton totaled 12 points and six assists, while Joshua Rivera and Richardson combined for 24 points.
Led by 25 combined points from Jeremy Foumena and David Fuchs, as well as a game-high nine assists from Luis Kortright, Rhode Island took a lead at one point in the second half and battled their way to a tie game with 1:12 remaining in regulation. A Rivera lay-in with 40 seconds on the clock gave the men in maroon a 66-64 lead, and allowed them to stay ahead of the opposing Rams the rest of the way.
The win moved Fordham to a 3-0 road record in conference play, but they were unable to continue this trend against the Dukes. The Rams began the game with a 6-0 run, and looked a step quicker than their Pittsburgh-based opponents.
The remainder of the first half was much different. Neither side played particularly well, and an eventual 6-0 Dukes run gave the home team a 20-18 advantage with 3:54 left in the initial period. Fordham was able to finish the half somewhat well. An Elijah Gray layup and a Charlton mid-range jumper gave the Rams a 28-27 edge at the break.
After enduring an ankle injury against Davidson College on Jan. 17, and not participating in Fordham’s games against Loyola University Chicago and Rhode Island, Japhet Medor made his return against Duquesne, but he was unable to truly impact the game down the stretch. In fact, the same could be said of a few of Fordham’s more seasoned players.
Medor collected two points on a 1-6 clip, and tallied two assists. Meanwhile Abdou Tsimbila only collected two boards across eight minutes. Rose could not aptly follow up a stellar outing against Rhode Island. The mainstay produced three points and while he did collect nine rebounds, he also got into a scuffle with Duquesne freshman Jake DiMichele that riled up a hearty crowd.
Charlton did post 11 points and four assists, but the other veterans’ generally lackluster showings meant that Gray, Romad Dean, Rivera and Richardson had to step up. Gray tallied a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds. Dean scored a career-high nine points and also swiped down five rebounds. Richardson mustered six points on a low-volume 2-6 day from the field, and Rivera put up seven points on a conservative 3-7 shooting afternoon.
Fordham was in the game down to the last few minutes, but the Dukes accrued a 56-49 lead with 4:15 to play. Duquesne only made one three-pointer, but consistently challenged the Rams in the paint. They collected 46 points in the paint and were led by the trio of DiMichele, Jimmy Clark III and David Dixon.
DiMichele, a walk-on, scored a team-high 15 points on an impressive 6-10 shooting performance. The McKees Rocks, Penn., native moved eloquently both with and without the ball in a fashion that kept Fordham’s defense off-kilter. Clark III and Dixon followed suit, scoring 12 points apiece. Clark III was particularly deadly, as the senior guard served as the team’s primary facilitator and collected seven dimes.
Duqunse shot 48% from the field as a team in the second half while the Rams only earned a mark of roughly 34%. Free throws also were a point of emphasis. The Dukes made 19 of their 30 attempts while Fordham only drained 13 of their 24 looks from the charity stripe. While neither squad was pristine in this regard, Duquesne’s persistence in the pain ultimately resulted in more trips to the line and a higher percentage.
The Bronx’s finest could not seem to get on a large enough scoring run to permanently overcome the opposition. Fouls, poor shooting, questionable paint protection and attrition permitted the Dukes to emerge victorious.
With the split, Fordham now holds a 9-11 overall record and a modest 3-4 Atlantic 10 mark. The Rams will host the University of Richmond this Wednesday and then hit the road for a matchup with the Saint Louis University Billikens on Saturday afternoon.
