Feb. 19, 2011

Cincinnati, Ohio - Game Notes | WFUV Audio | Live Stats | Follow on Twitter

The Fordham University men's basketball team continues its Atlantic 10 season tonight in Cincinnati as the Rams take on the 24th-ranked Xavier University Musketeers at 8:00 PM in the Cintas Center. Follow the game live on your computer by clicking on the links above. The game between the two Jesuit schools is one of more than 90 games played this season as part of the Jesuit Basketball Spotlight (JBS).

The Rams enter the game with a 6-17 overall record, 0-11 in the conference, following a 76-70 Atlantic 10 loss to Saint Joseph's University in the IZOD Center last Sunday. The Rams are looking to snap a 13-game losing streak as well as a 37-game Atlantic 10 losing streak dating back to 2009. Xavier enters the game with a 19-6 overall record, 10-1 in the A-10 to sit in first place, after a 74-54 conference win over Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia on Wednesday.

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 and senior Brenton Butler. Gaston has posted a double-double in 14 of the 23 games this year, including an 14-point, 10-rebound game against Saint Joseph's, and is averaging 15.7 ppg and 11.0 rpg. He leads the Atlantic 10 and is ranked seventh in the nation in rebounding. Butler is second on the team and is ranked 13th in the Atlantic 10, averaging 14.2 ppg, and he also lead the squad with 83 assists. He is currently eighth on the Fordham all-time scoring list with 1,443 points.

THE XAVIER SERIES: Saturday night's contest will be the 24th meeting between Fordham and Xavier on the hardwood...The Musketeers lead the all-time series, which started in the 1957-58 season, 20-3...Xavier has won the past eight meetings, including a pair of victories last year, a 108-60 win in Cincinnati on January 31st where Jordan Crawford scored 23 points and Jamel McLean added 16 points and seven rebounds, and an 82-56 win in the Rose Hill Gym on March 3rd as McLean netted 16 points and Terrell Holloway added 14.

RAMS VERSUS FELLOW JESUITS: The Fordham University Rams are currently 184-188 (.495) alltime against other Jesuit schools: 42-41 vs. Holy Cross; 31-11 vs. Fairfield; 31-15 vs. Saint Peter's; 27-23 vs. Georgetown; 15-28 vs. Saint Joseph's; 12-8 vs. Canisius; 10-19 vs. Boston College; 6-2 vs. Loyola (Md.); 3-1 vs. Detroit; 3-20 vs. Xavier; 1-11 vs. Marquette; 1-6 vs. Saint Louis; 1-1 vs. San Francisco and 1-2 vs. Santa Clara.

The Rams are currently on a 17-game losing streak against Jesuit schools dating back to 2007. The last Fordham win over a fellow Jesuit was a 77-68 win over Saint Louis on January 20, 2007.

RAMS AGAINST RANKED TEAMS: After falling to #24 Temple on February 9th, the Fordham Rams are 6-44 all-time against ranked teams since the Associated Press first started weekly polls in 1948. The last time Fordham defeated a ranked team was on February 26, 1978 when the Rams knocked off then 18th-ranked Georgetown, 63-59, in the Rose Hill Gym. The Rams have lost their last 52 games against ranked teams.

WHO'S HOT?: Sophomore forward Chris Gaston has 14 double-doubles on the year, his most recent a 14-point, 10-rebound effort against Saint Joseph's on Sunday, his 33rd career double-double, while he also dished out a season-high five assists against the Hawks... The previous game he netted a season-high 27 points at Temple, shooting 11-for-19 from the field, adding nine rebounds...His 14 double-doubles are the most for an Atlantic 10 player this year and tenth most in the NCAA Division I... Gaston leads the Atlantic 10 and is seventh in the nation in rebounding with an 11.0 rpg average while he also leads the Rams and is ninth in the A-10 in scoring with a 15.7 ppg average... He sits in 19th place on the Fordham all-time rebounding list with 571 career rebounds... Redshirt senior guard Brenton Butler has netted double figures in 16 of the 22 games he has played in this year, including netting ten at Temple on Wednesday, while also dishing out seven assists, and 17 against Saint Joseph's last Sunday... He has also surpassed the 20-point mark four times this year, including a season-high 28 points in the loss at Santa Clara... Butler, who is now eighth on the Fordham all-time scoring list with 1,443 points, is averaging 14.2 ppg, second best on the team and 13th best in the Atlantic 10, while also leading the squad with 83 assists... Freshman guard Branden Frazier has his collegiate career off to a good start, averaging 12.1 ppg, third best on the squad, including scoring eleven at Temple and 17 versus Saint Joseph's... He has scored in double figures in each of the past seven games he has appeared in... Frazier leads the team and is fifth in the Atlantic 10 with 50 three-pointers made... Junior forward Kervin Bristol grabbed 11 rebounds, scored six points and blocked five shots against Richmond, scored six points, pulled down eleven rebounds and blocked four shots at Temple and then finished with six points, ten rebounds and five blocks against Saint Joseph's... He is averaging 10.2 rpg over the past six games and has blocked 12 shots in the last three contests.