Box Score Dec. 10, 2011
Final Stats
West Long Branch, N.J. -
Since tonight's Fordham-Monmouth game was played in the vicinity of a famous horse track, the game can best be summed using horse racing analogy. The Rams were slow out of the gate, tried to mount a comeback down the stretch but couldn't beat the Hawks to the wire as Fordham fell to Monmouth, 80-65, in the Multipurpose Activity Center.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 3-5 on the year while Monmouth improves to 2-8.
Chris Gaston paced the Rams, scoring 21 points and adding ten rebounds while also blocking four shots. He notched his sixth double-double of the season and the 42nd of his Fordham career.
In an attempt to shake up the team, head coach Tom Pecora decided to switch up the starting lineup, inserting sophomore Marvin Dominique and freshmen Ryan Canty and Bryan Smith in place of seniors Kervin Bristol and Alberto Estwick and Gaston.
But the lineup alteration didn't help the Rams get off to a fast start. It was Monmouth that jumped out of the gate early, opening a 12-0 lead over the first three minutes before a Branden Frazier layup got Fordham on the board 3:37 into the game.
Monmouth got the lead back to 12, 16-4, just over a minute later, when the Rams used a Devon McMillan free throw and two from Dominique to cut the deficit to nine, 16-7, with 13:32 left on the half.
The Hawks then used an 11-3 run over the next two minutes to take a 27-10 lead and Monmouth would lead by 17 again with 8:23 remaining in the half, 31-14, when the Rams scored seven straight points to make it a ten-point game, 31-21, on a Jeff Shot three-pointer with 5:36 on the clock.
Two minutes later the Rams again trailed by ten, 33-23, after a Bristol layup but a Mike Myers Keitt three-pointer in the final minute gave Monmouth a 36-23 lead at the break.
The second half didn't start out much better for the Rams as the Hawks built the lead to 17, 44-27, three minutes into the period before Fordham used a Dominique layup and a Smith three-pointer to pull to within 12, 44-32, with 16:12 left.
Later in the half, Fordham trailed by 13, 47-34, following a Dominique jumper, when Monmouth went on a 10-3 run to take a commanding 57-37 lead with 10:55 remaining and the closest the Rams would get from that point was 14, which they did twice, the final time at 76-62 on a Smith three-pointer with 1:20 remaining.
Smith added eleven points for the Rams while Dominique finished with ten points and eight rebounds.
The Rams return to action on Monday, December 12th, as they travel to Albany to face the Siena College Saints at the Times Union Center at 7:00 p.m.
Notes
The win was the first for Monmouth over the Rams in three tries... The Rams saw a familiar face on the Monmouth bench in Derrick Phelps, who served as the Fordham video coordinator last year... Gaston's 21 points brings his career total to 1,065, moving him ahead of Sanford Jenkins and Dud Tongal and into 28th place on the Fordham all-time scoring list, eight behind Danny O'Sullivan (1986-90) for 27th place... His ten rebounds brings his career total to 709, placing him tenth on the Fordham all-time list, 34 behind Bill Carlson (1949-52) for ninth... Dominique's ten points and eight rebounds were both season-highs... Bristol blocked a season-best four shots... The Rams outrebounded the Hawks, 44-39, and had 19 second chance points compared to nine for Monmouth... The team left right after the game for Albany where they will practice on Sunday in preparation of the Siena game on Monday.
