Box Score Feb. 27, 2008
Final Stats
BRONX, N.Y. - Entering the La Salle game on Wednesday, the Fordham Rams knew that they would have to contain Explorer leading scorer Darnell Harris in order to win. Harris entered the game averaging 16.5 ppg while shooting 49.0% from behind the arc, second best in the Atlantic 10, connecting on a league-high 103 three-pointers on the year. And for the most part they did, holding Harris to just six points, including just one three-pointer. But that three-pointer was the biggest shot of the night as it broke a 75-75 tie with 2:14 remaining to lead La Salle to an 83-78 Atlantic 10 win over Fordham in the Rose Hill Gym.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 11-14 overall, 5-8 in the Atlantic 10, while La Salle improves to 14-13 overall, 8-5 in the conference.
"I knew that this was a dangerous game for us," said Fordham head coach Dereck Whittenburg. "We've been inconsistent at home all year and we were coming off an emotional win at Temple. But I have to give credit to La Salle. They made the big plays when they had to and we didn't."
The loss overshadowed another strong performance from Fordham's Bryant Dunston, who scored a game-high 25 points while also grabbing a game-best 12 rebounds and blocking three shots. The double-double is his fifth straight and Atlantic 10-leading 13th on the season. With his 25 points, Dunston brought his career total to 1,776 points, moving him into a third place tie with Joe Paterno (1985-89) on the Fordham all-time list, 17 points behind Bevon Robin.
The Explorers won despite connecting on just five three-pointers in the game, as they out shot Fordham 56.3% (27-48) to 46.6% (27-58) from the field and connected on 24 free throws to 17 for the Rams.
"They went to a zone in the second half and we had some open outside shots that we didn't hit," said Whittenburg.
The game started out with lots of offense as the scored was tied at 45 at the half with Dunston scoring 15 of his 25 points in the period.
The game would be tied twice over the first five minutes of the second half before Fordham scored five straight points to turn a 53-53 tie into a 58-53 advantage with 12:47 left. Marcus Stout started the run with a three-pointer and Dunston finished it with a lay-up.
La Salle then went on an 8-2 run over the next four minutes to take 62-60 lead following a pair of Kimmani Barrett free throws with 8:38 remaining.
A Stout jumper 19 seconds later knotted the game at 62 and a Dunston lay-up and Stout three-pointer over the next 1:29 helped the Rams build another five-point lead, 69-64, with just under six minutes left.
The Rams would lead by four, 75-71, later in the half after a pair of Sebastian Greene free throws with 3:45 remaining but a Harris jumper 22 seconds later and a pair of Rodney Green free throws tied the game at 75 with 2:51 left.
After a missed Fordham free throw with 2:33 remaining, the Rams' only missed free throw on the night, Harris hit a deep three-pointer from the left side to put the Explorers up for good, 78-75.
The Rams had a chance to tie the game over the next minute but missed a pair of three-pointers and La Salle connected on five of their six free throw over the final 24 seconds while Brenton Butler would close out the scoring for Fordham with a three-pointer with two seconds left.
La Salle jumped out to a quick four-point lead, 7-3 and led by four later in the period, 17-13, following a Michael Binns lay-up, when the Explorers netted eight straight points, four from Kimmani Barrett, to take their biggest lead of the night, 25-13, midway through the half.
The Rams responded with a 19-6 spurt, led by eight points from Dunston, to take a 32-30 lead on a pair of Dunston free throws with five minutes remaining. Fordham would build the lead to three, 45-42, on a Dunston charity shot with 21 seconds left in the half before Green tied the game at 45 with a three-pointer with three seconds remaining.
Butler added 16 points for the Rams while Stout (14) and Greene (12) and finished in double figures.
The Rams will next be in action on Saturday, March 1st, as they host the University of Dayton in an Atlantic 10 contest in the Rose Hill Gym at 7:00 p.m.
Notes
The Rams matched their Atlantic 10 season-high with the 78 points (they also scored 78 in their last game vs. Temple)...The 83 points are the most allowed by the Rams this season...The loss breaks a three-game winning streak in the all-time series for the Rams...La Salle now leads the all-time series, 28-13...Dunston's 13 double-doubles are the most for a Ram since Sanford Jenkins recorded eleven in the 1991-92 season...He has recorded double figures in rebounds in 13 of the past 15 games...Dunston now has 38 double-doubles over his career... His 12 rebounds brings his career rebounding total to 959, good for fourth place on the all-time rebounding list, nine behind Bill McCadney...Dunston's three blocked shots in the game brings his Fordham career-record total to 285...Dunston is averaging 18.8 ppg and 11.7 rpg over the past six games...Stout's 14 points brings his career total to 1,658 good for seventh place on the all-time list.
