Box Score Jan. 3, 2010
Final Stats
Hampton, Va. -
The Fordham University basketball squad endured a bumpy landing on their arrival to the Norfolk Airport yesterday, leaving some members of the traveling party feeling a little unsettled. The Rams hoped that things would get better on terra firma as they looked to snap a four-game losing streak tonight at Hampton. But things didn't improve for Fordham as the Rams fell to the Pirates, 78-54, in the HU Convocation Center.
With the loss, the Rams fall to 2-9 on the year while Hampton improves to 3-9.
Fordham struggled in all aspects of the game, shooting 30.8% (20-65) from the field while allowing Hampton to shoot 51.0% (25-49). The Rams also turned the ball over 15 times which the Pirates converted into 20 points and were outrebounded 42-31 in the contest.
The biggest deficiency for Fordham was that Chris Gaston, who entered the game leading the Atlantic 10 in scoring and ranking second in rebounding, was limited to playing a season-low 15 minutes due to foul trouble. He picked up two fouls in the first 27 seconds and was held to six points and five rebounds, both among his season-lows.
Brenton Butler attempted to pick up the slack for the Rams, netting a game-high 21 points, his second straight 20-point game and his sixth consecutive double figure scoring game.
A Jacob Green three-point play 47 seconds into the game gave Fordham its only lead of the night, 3-0, before the Pirates scored seven straight points to go up 7-3 on a Charles Funches free throw with 16:16 left in the half.
An Alberto Estwick tip-in 42 seconds later pulled the Rams to within two, 7-5, but the Pirates exploded for eight consecutive points to take a 15-5 lead on a Vincent Simpson three-pointer with 13:46 remaining in the period.
A Green jumper halted the Hampton run and after the teams exchanged baskets, Butler hit a three-pointer with 12:24 left to pull the Rams to within seven, 19-12.
Butler answered a Koron Reed basket with a layup to help the Rams stay within seven but the Pirates would get the lead to nine three times over the next three minutes, the final time at 27-18 with7:52 left in the half. Hampton then netted ten straight points to take a commanding 37-18 lead with 3:26 left in the period and took a 41-22 advantage into the break.
Things didn't get much better for the Rams in the second half, as Hampton opened the half with a 9-2 spurt to build the lead to 26, 50-24, and the Pirates would get the lead to as many as 32, 69-37, with just over five minutes remaining.
Alberto Estwick also finished in double figures for the Rams, netting ten points, while Green added six points and eight rebounds.
The Rams will next be in action on Wednesday night, January 6th, as they open Atlantic 10 action by traveling to Amherst, Massachusetts, to face the University of Massachusetts in the Mullins Center at 7:30 p.m.
Notes
The game was the first between the Rams and the Pirates on the hardwood...It was the fifth game this year that the Rams faced an opponent for the first time (Maine, Hartford, Stony Brook and Kennesaw State are the others)...Fordham is now 2-1 all-time against schools from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)...The Rams are also 12-32 all-time against schools from the state of Virginia and 4-8 all-time when playing the Old Dominion state...Gaston matched his season-low in scoring (he finished with six points at Fairfield)...Fordham forced 21 Hampton turnovers, one shy of the season-high for a Ram opponent...All 14 players who dressed appeared in the game for Fordham.
