Box Score Dec. 22, 2010
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Bronx, N.Y. -
It was a game of opposites in the Rose Hill Gym tonight. Fordham entered the contest riding a three-game winning streak and was coming off a big win over St. John's back on December 11th. Kennesaw State entered the contest on an eight-game losing streak after opening the season with a pair of wins, including one over Georgia Tech. In the end the Rams remained hot, defeating the Owls, 80-63, behind Chris Gaston's eighth double-double of the year.
With the win, Fordham extends it winning streak to four games and goes to 6-4 on the year while Kennesaw State falls to 2-9. The four-game winning streak is the longest for the Rams since a five-game streak at the end of the 2006-07 season while the 6-4 start is Fordham's best since the 2000-01 squad opened 6-4.
"I think it was a great team effort," said Fordham head coach Tom Pecora. "We had to get the rust off at first from the ten day layoff. At the half I told the guys that we have to keep our focus because Kennesaw State is a dangerous team that can gobble up a lead quickly by making three pointers and everybody did a great job doing that tonight. It's nice to head into the Christmas break with a win."
Gaston finished with 20 points, shooting 8-for-14 from the field, and eleven rebounds, his 27th career double-double in 38 career games. He also added three blocks and two assists.
The Rams shot a season-high 57.9% (33-57) from the field, 63.0% (17-27) in the first half, and 8-for-9 from the charity stripe, while holding Kennesaw State to shooting just 38.8% (26-67) from the field, the third time in the past four games Fordham has held an opponent to shooting under 40% from the field.
Coming off one of the biggest wins in school history along with a ten-day break for finals it was imperative that the Rams get off to a fast start. But Fordham struggled over the first eight minutes, trailing 8-0 after a Matt Heramb three-pointer.
A Gaston layup 2:29 into the game woke up the Fordham offense as the Rams scored eight straight points, six by Gaston, to tie the game at eight with 16:40 left in the half.
The Owls responded with an 8-2 spurt over the next two minutes to take a 16-10 lead on a Kelvin McConnell three-pointer with just under 14 minutes remaining in the period.
Gaston nailed a jumper with 13:03 left that started a 17-2 Fordham run as the Rams took a 27-18 lead following a Brenton Butler basket with 7:59 left in the half. Gaston, Butler and Branden Frazier all had four points in the run.
Kennesaw State cut the Fordham lead back to seven three times over the next five-and-a-half minutes, the final time at 37-30, with 2:26 left before the break. But a Frazier three-pointer 28 seconds later bumped the Rams' advantage back to ten and the home team took a 42-34 lead into the intermission thanks to a Frazier jumper with six seconds left.
Fordham came out hot in the second half and quickly got the lead back to double digits, opening the half with a 10-2 run to take a 51-36 lead on a Gaston three-point play 2:44 into the period.
The Owls whittled the Fordham lead down to nine, 52-43, with six unanswered points, but the Rams countered with a 13-3 run to take a commanding 65-46 lead following an Alberto Estwick three-pointer with 11:20 left and the Rams would build the lead to as many as 26 before taking the 17-point victory.
Frazier finished with 18 points for the Rams, shooting 7-for-8 from the field, and he added four rebounds and four assists while Estwick chipped in with 15 points, five rebounds and four assists and Butler added 14 points and seven assists.
The Rams will next be in action on Monday, December 27th as they travel to Atlanta to face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the Alexander Memorial Coliseum at 12:00 p.m.
Notes
The Fordham win avenged a loss at Kennesaw State last year in the first meeting between the two teams... Fordham is now 5-2 all-time against teams from the Atlantic Sun Conference... The Rams have scored 73 points or more in each of the last five games, averaging 78.2 ppg over that stretch... Butler had his streak of three straight 20-point games snapped... The 14 points brings Butler's career total to 1,279, moving him into 13th place on the Fordham all-time scoring list, 44 points behind Bill Langheld (1965-68) for 12th place... Butler was held without a three-pointer for the first time this year... The Rams outrebounded the Owls, 38-28, the ninth time in ten games this year that Fordham has outrebounded an opponent... The Rams blocked a season-high ten shots, five of those from Kervin Bristol... Fordham also dished out a season-best 22 assists, led by Butler's seven... The Rams will have Thursday and Friday off before returning to campus on Christmas night for practice.
