Box Score Nov. 14, 2008
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Bronx, N.Y. - Fordham basketball fans knew that the Rams would be a young team this year that would undergo various growing pains. Never would that be more evident than on Friday night as the Rams fell to Columbia, 65-62, in the season-opener for both teams.
On a night where the temperature and humidity in the Rose Hill Gym made it feel more like a June night than a November evening, the Rams couldn't seem to get on track, being outrebounded 52-27 and shooting 8-for-23 from the free throw stripe. Despite those numbers, the Rams still led for most of the game, not giving up the lead until there was 3:37 left in the game, and then tying the contest twice over the last two minutes.
Freshman Trey Blue was a main reason the Rams stayed in the game, connecting for a game-high 24 points, setting a Fordham record for most points scored by a freshman in his Fordham debut.
"What it came down to was Columbia made the tough plays at the end and we didn't," said Fordham head coach Dereck Whittenburg. "I'm disappointed but it's early in the season and we're a young team. We'll learn from this and grow."
The Rams led 57-52 following a Chris Bethel lay-up with 6:05 left before Columbia scored eight straight points to take a 60-57 lead on a pair of Jason Miller free throws with 2:56 remaining.
Bethel halted the Columbia streak 31 seconds later with a three-pointer to knot the game at 60 but Asenso Ampim answered with a lay-up for the Lions with 1:14 left.
Blue followed his own miss with a tip-in to tie the game at 62 with just under a minute remaining but Ampim moved along the baseline and put in a lay-up with 41 seconds left to give Columbia the lead for good, 62-60.
After the Rams missed a three-pointer, Herb Tanner fouled Patrick Foley with nine seconds left but Foley only hit the first of his two free throws, giving Fordham a last chance. But a Jio Fontan three-pointer was off and Brenton Butler got off another three-point attempt at the buzzer that was long.
Columbia jumped out to a 7-2 lead over the first two minutes, with five of those points coming from Foley, before the Rams responded with an 11-4 spurt to take a 13-11 lead on a Fontan lay-up 5:26 into the game. Butler led the run with a pair of three-pointers.
Fordham would extend the lead to as many as eight, 21-13, on a Butler lay-up with 12:48 left in the period and would lead by seven, 25-18, when the Lions scored seven consecutive points to tie the game at 25 on a Miller free throw with 3:53 left before the break.
A Blue jumper and three-pointer ignited a 7-0 Fordham run as the Rams took a 32-25 lead with 1:50 left before the Rams settled on a 35-30 advantage at the intermission.
The Rams would twice lead by eight, their biggest lead of the night, in the second half, the last at 47-39 on a Bethel lay-up with 12:35 left, but Columbia was able to cut the Fordham lead to three, 47-44, two minutes later on an Ampim lay-up.
Blue hit six of his 11 three-pointers on the night, while Bethel added 16 points and seven rebounds and Butler finished with ten points.
The Rams will next be in action on Monday night as they travel to Villanova for a 7:30 p.m. contest.
Notes
Blue bettered Bryant Dunston's freshman debut scoring record of 20 points, set in 2004...St. Anthony's head coach Bob Hurley was in attendance to watch two of his former players (Jio Fontan and Alberto Estwick)...The loss snaps a two-game season-opening wining streak for the Rams and brings Fordham's overall season-opening record to 72-27...The Rams still lead the all-time series with Columbia, 51-27...Senior Luke Devine hit a free throw in the second half, his first point since his freshman year.
