Feb. 12, 2011
Bronx, N.Y. -
The Fordham University men's basketball Rams continue their 2011 Atlantic 10 season on Sunday afternoon by hosting the Saint Joseph's University Hawks in the IZOD Center at 4:00 p.m. The game can be heard live on WFUV (90.7 FM) and on wfuv.org and will be broadcast live on the CBS College Sports Regional Network (Verizon FIOS in the New York City area) as well as streamed live on FordhamSports.com. You can also follow the game by clicking on the links below:
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Game Notes
The contest between the two Jesuits schools is one of more than 90 games that will be played this season as part of the Jesuit Basketball Spotlight (JBS). Each of the 28 is dedicated to strong academics and teaching women and men to serve others and live a faith that does justice.
The Rams enter the game with a 6-16 overall record, 0-10 in the Atlantic 10, after dropping an Atlantic 10 game at #24 Temple, 77-66, on Wednesday night. The loss was Fordham's 12th in a row and 36th straight in the Atlantic 10 (Fordham's last A-10 win was at St. Bonaventure in 2009). Saint Joseph's enters the game with a 6-17 overall, 1-8 in the conference, and is coming off a 67-64 Atlantic 10 home win over Massachusetts last Saturday, a win that snapped a nine-game losing streak.
Fordham will be guided into the game by first-year head coach Tom Pecora, who arrived at Rose Hill in March after nine successful seasons as the head coach at Hofstra where he averaged 20 wins during the past six years.
On the court, Fordham is led by sophomore Chris Gaston, a Union City, N.J. resident who played at St. Anthony High School and St. Benedict's High School, and senior Brenton Butler. Gaston has posted a double-double in 13 of the 22 games this year and is averaging 15.8 ppg and 11.0 rpg, both team highs. He is tops in the Atlantic 10 and sixth best in the nation in rebounding. Butler is second on the team and is ranked 13th in the Atlantic 10, averaging 14.1 ppg. He is tenth on the Fordham all-time scoring list with 1,426 points.
This will be Fordham's third of four games at the IZOD Center this year and the fourth appearance for the Rams in the arena over the past two years. Besides the Fordham players, two members of the Fordham staff, assistant coach John Morton and video coordinator Derrick Phelps, have a history at the IZOD Center. Morton, who played collegiately at Seton Hall from 1985-89, played all of his BIG EAST home contests at the arena while Phelps, who played collegiately at North Carolina where he won the 1993 national championship, played in the 1991 NCAA East Regional finals in the building, defeating Eastern Michigan and Temple to advance to the Final Four. In 1993, the Tar Heels again played in the NCAA East Regionals at the IZOD Center (it was known then as the Brendan Byrne Arena), defeating Arkansas and Cincinnati to advance to the Final Four where they beat Michigan for the championship.
Sunday's game will be the 43rd meeting between the Rams and the Hawks on the hardwood. Saint Joseph's leads the all-time series, 26-16, including an 82-69 win in Philadelphia last year.
Come out and support your Rams on Sunday in the IZOD Center!
