Box Score Nov. 12, 2011
Final Stats
Syracuse, N.Y. -
Entering the 2011-12 season with one of the youngest rosters in the nation, a list that consists of seven freshmen and four sophomores, the Fordham University men's basketball squad knew it would be an uphill battle with the fifth-ranked team in the country today, the Syracuse Orange. The Rams also knew that they would have to shoot well and not turn the ball over to have a chance but Fordham was cold from the field and committed 19 turnovers as the Orange defeated the Rams, 78-53, in the Carrier Dome in the season opener for both squads.
"Syracuse is a terrific basketball team," said Fordham head coach Tom Pecora. "Their length gave them the ability to take away space and challenge all our three-point attempts. That's about as deep of a team as I've seen. This will be a great point of reference for us the rest of the year."
The Rams shot 34.6% (18-52) from the field, including 19.0% (4-21) from behind the arc. They were coldest in the first half when they shot 25.9% (7-27) from the floor and 10.0% (1-10) from three-point range. On the upside for Fordham, the Rams forced 15 Syracuse miscues and recorded ten steals.
The game was a sort of Homecoming for one Ram, senior Ryan Hage, and one of biggest cheers from the crowd came with just over five minutes remaining when he entered the game. A Brockport native, Hage attended the Syracuse basketball camp every summer growing up and three bus loads of family and friends from Rochester made the trip to cheer him on. Hage scored two points on a pair of free throws.
The Rams held their own over the first eight minutes, trailing only by four, 12-8, following a Chris Gaston free throw. But Syracuse then used a 12-2 run to build a 14-point lead, 24-10, with 6:26 remaining in the half. James Southerland led the Orange run with five points, capping it with a three-pointer.
Syracuse pushed the lead to as many as 18 in the first half, 30-12, before the Rams chipped away at the Orange advantage, scoring seven straight points to knock the deficit down to eleven, 30-19, with 41 seconds left in the period. Branden Frazier scored four points in the Fordham spurt.
Leading by 14 at the break, 32-19, the Orange opened the second half by bumping the lead up to 17, 36-19, before the Rams used a Gaston free throw and a Frazier three-point play to make it a 13-point game, 36-23, with 17:50 left.
Later in the half, the Rams trailed by 14, 42-28, following a Bryan Smith three-pointer when Syracuse scored nine consecutive points to take a commanding 51-28, lead with 12:44 remaining and the Rams would get no closer than 18 the rest of the way.
Gaston and Smith each netted 13 points for Fordham with Gaston adding five rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Frazier added nine points and three steals for the Rams while Devon McMillan added seven and Kervin Bristol pulled down eight rebounds.
The Rams will next be in action on Friday night, November 18th, as they host the Binghamton Bearcats in the Rose Hill Gym at 7:00 p.m.
Notes:
Syracuse has now won three straight over Fordham and lead the all-time series, 27-16... The fifth-ranked Orange are the highest ranked team that the Rams have played since they hosted second-ranked Saint Joseph's University on February 18, 2004... Fordham has dropped three straight season openers... The announced crowd of 22,906 was the largest crowd to witness a Fordham men's basketball game... The previous high was at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, where 20,218 saw Fordham play BYU on December 11, 1982 ... With his 13 points, Gaston brings his career total to 963, moving him into 36th place on the Fordham all-time scoring list, 33 points behind Andre McClendon (1986-90) and Mark Murphy (1979-83)... Gason's five boards bring his career tally to 640, moving him up to 13th on the Fordham career list, 40 behind Dan O'Sullivan (1986-90)... For more on Ryan Hage's connection to Syracuse read the story in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle (Brockport grad Ryan Hage to play against Syracuse University)... Former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal was in attendance ... He was on campus directing a public service campaign for the Century Council's "Stupid Drink" promotion, developed by SU students to help prevent binge drinking on campus.
