Men’s Basketball Takes Battle of the Bronx

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Bronx, N.Y. – Early in the game, the Fordham men's basketball team faced something that they haven't faced in a home game this year. A deficit. But the Rams didn't let that bother them as Mandell Thomas scored a season-high 26 points to lead a strong second half charge as the Rams defeated Manhattan College, 87-64, in the annual Battle of the Bronx in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
With the win, Fordham's fourth in a row, the Rams improve to 4-1 on the year while Manhattan falls to 1-3. It is Fordham's first four-game winning streak since 2010 and the Rams' first 4-1 start since 2000.
 

Thomas shot 4-for-6 from behind the arc and added five rebounds and three steals to earn the Mike Cohen MVP award while Ryan Rhoomes recorded a double-double with 20 points and ten rebounds to go with a career-high six blocks.
 
The Rams used a hot shooting hand as a key to the victory, shooting 56.4% (31-55) from the field, including a blistering 52.6% (10-19) from three-point land.  Fordham also controlled the boards, outrebounding the Jaspers, 39-27.
 
A Rich Williams jumper midway through the first half gave Manhattan a 16-15 lead and marked the first time the Rams trailed in a home game this year. The Jaspers got the lead to as many as three, 23-20, with 7:30 remaining in the half and led by two, 29-27, two minutes later when a Christian Sengfelder three-pointer with 4:20 on the clock gave Fordham the lead for good, 30-29.
 
The Sengfelder three started a 9-1 Fordham run as the Rams took a 36-30 lead with 1:37 left and, thanks to two Antwoine Anderson baskets in the final 25 seconds - including one at the buzzer, the Rams took a 42-33 lead at the break.
 
Thomas scored the first four points of the second half for the Rams as Fordham took a 46-33 lead 1:25 into the half, but Manhattan was able to get the Fordham lead down to seven, 46-39, with six unanswered points.
 
A Jon Severe three-pointer at the 16:18 mark ignited a 9-0 Fordham spurt and the Rams took a 16-point lead, 55-39, om a Thomas trifecta with 14:39 remaining.
 
Manhattan worked the Rams' advantage down to ten, 55-45, with 13:47 left but Fordham used an 11-3 run, led by five points from Thomas, to take a commanding 66-48 lead.
 
Sengfelder (16), Joseph Chartouny (11) and Anderson (10) also scored in double figures for the Rams with Chartouny adding nine rebounds and four assists and Anderson adding five assists and a pair of steals.
 
The Rams return to action on Wednesday, December 2, as they host the St. John's University Red Storm in the historic Rose Hill Gym at 7:00 p.m.
 
Notes
The 87 points scored by Fordham are the most in a game against Manhattan since the Rams scored 96 in 1987. It was also Fordham's largest margin of victory since a 93-57 win in 1986.
 
Thomas's 26 points brings his career total to 1,152 points, moving him ahead of John Brady and Jim Manhardt and into 22nd place on the Fordham all-time scoring list.
 
Rhoomes' ten rebounds bring his career total to 672, 14^th on the Fordham career rebounding list.
 
Rhoomes, who entered the game leading the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage (.706), was 9-for-11 from the field in the game.
 
Rhoomes' previous career-high in blocks was five against Siena last December.
 
The 26 points was three shy of Thomas' career-high, set against UMass last year.
 
Fordham has scored more than 80 points in each of the past three games.

The Rams recorded ten steals in the game, Fordham's fourth straight game of double digit steals.
 
Former WFUVer and current host of ESPN's Around the Horn Tony Reali handled the play-by-play announcing for WFUV tonight.
 
ABC/ESPN NBA announcer Mike Breen, also a former WFUVer, was in attendance.