Fordham broke their six-game loss streak with a home win on Jan. 26 against the Duquesne University Dukes. Junior forward Josh Rivera led the team with 16 points, and graduate student guard Japhet Medor and junior forward Romad Dean followed with 14 and 12. The matchup remained close, never exiting a three-possession game. After the Rams trailed by one at the half, they came out strong in the second, securing their largest lead, 50-44, with an 8-2 scoring run around nine minutes in. Fordham held onto their lead as the Dukes chipped away at it, eventually making it a one-point game with 1:35 left on the clock. However, senior guard Jackie Johnson III found Rivera for the biggest three of the day with about 25 seconds left on the clock, essentially securing their win. The game ended 65-63.
Coming off the momentum of their first conference win a few days prior, the Rams battled the LaSalle University Explorers on Wednesday, Jan. 29. LaSalle, also competing after a good win against the University of Rhode Island, came with energy but continually fell short of the electric game the Rams played on the court. Fordham began with an aggressive offense and defense, forcing multiple turnovers and shot-clock violations and preventing the Explorers’ three-point attempts. The Rams led by 15 at the half and continued dominating in the second, maintaining a double-digit advantage throughout. In addition to Johnson III, Rivera, Medor, and Dean, forwards Matt Zona and Jahmere Tripp joined as leading scorers this game, all putting up double figures. The final was 88-72.
This past Saturday, Feb. 1, the Rams traveled to Allegany, New York, to face the St. Bonaventure University Bonnies for the second time this season. While the Rams had two consecutive wins under their belt, the Bonnies were also following a big win against the University of Dayton Flyers (the Flyers’ biggest loss of their season). When the Bonnies visited the Bronx in January, they won by 20 for their eighth win in a row, but they then proceeded to lose five of their next six until their matchup with Dayton earlier in the week.
To begin the afternoon, both teams struggled shooting, but the Bonnies corrected themselves sooner, putting the first seven points on the board until a Medor three gave the Rams their first points about four and a half minutes into the half. St. Bonaventure remained in the lead throughout the first, dominating in the paint while the Rams struggled from deep. With around 13:25 left, a Medor three began a 10-5 Fordham run, cutting the lead to two, 12-10. However, a Bonnies run followed, and by the time Fordham got their next bucket, the Bonnies doubled the Rams’ points 28-14. About halfway through the first, Fordham adjusted their game as the offense began to drive to the glass, and the defense switched to zone to slow the Bonnies’ offense. However, the Bonnies’ strength and speed continually allowed them to dominate, with the largest scoring deficit of the half being 16. At the break, the score was 29-40.
To start the second half, Fordham was determined to change the game. By the first time-out (about five and a half minutes into play), the Rams cut the Bonnies’ advantage to eight, as Medor and Johnson led in points. St. Bonaventure, however, continued to lead by a large margin until the latter half of the second; with around 7:30 on the clock, Johnson III made it a five-point game with a three. While the Bonnies responded, it began a run as Medor shot two threes to make it a one-possession game with five minutes left to play. Later, with 2:34 on the clock, a Johnson III layup made for the game’s first tie, 68-68, but the Bonnies scored five more points as a response, and the fouling began. Johnson III got the game back to 73-70 with 28 seconds left with a couple of free throws, and a put-back from Dean cut it to one, 73-72, with six seconds on the clock. After star guard Lajae Jones missed a free throw for the Bonnies, the Rams had a chance at a win or tie with their next possession, but Medor couldn’t hit it from half-court. The game ended 72-74, advancing St. Bonaventure 17-6 overall, 5-5 in the Atlantic-10, and placing Fordham 10-12 overall and 2-7 in the conference.
Johnson III scored a team-high 20 points, while Medor added 18 and Rivera with 12. The Rams played a full game against the Bonnies and managed to chip away at the large lead following the first half, but they just couldn’t finish. On Feb. 5, Fordham will have a chance to secure their next win against the Rhode Island Rams at home.
