Men’s Basketball Runs Past Coppin State

Bronx, N.Y. – On Gaudete Sunday in the Rose Hill Gym, Fordham fans had plenty of reasons to rejoice as the Rams recorded season-highs in most offensive categories, defeating Coppin State University, 92-55, for Fordham's eighth straight win.
 
With the win, Fordham improves to 8-1 on the year while Coppin State falls to 2-8. It is the first eight-game winning streak for the Rams since the 1990-1991 season and the first 8-1 start since the 1970-1971 season.
 
The Rams recorded season-high for most points, most field goals (33), most three-point field goals (15), highest shooting percentage (.569) and most assists (28) while holding the Eagles to shooting 29.1% (16-55) from the field, a season-low for a Fordham opponent this year. The 15 made three-pointers ties the school record, originally set against La Salle in 2005.
 

Senior guard Mandell Thomas paced the Rams with a game-high 28 points, shooting a sizzling 10-for-12 from the field, including a perfect 6-for-6 from behind the arc, while junior guard Jon Severe  added 16 points, four assists and three steals.
 
Fordham jumped out to a 19-3 lead over the first six minutes and never looked back. Thomas led the opening run with 12 of the 19 points.
 
After the Rams extended the lead to 20, 30-10, with 7:14 left in the half, Coppin State managed to shave the Fordham advantage back to 13, 32-19, with a 9-2 run. But the Rams responded with nine straight points, four from Ryan Rhoomes, to get the lead to 22, 41-19, on a Severe three-point play with 3:47 remaining and Fordham built the lead to 29 at the break, 52-23, as Thomas rebounded his own miss and beat the buzzer with a jumper.
 
Fordham would get the lead to as many as 48 in the second half, 87-39, on a Nemanja Zarkovic three-pointer with 5:11 remaining before the Rams emptied the bench.
 
Rhoomes finished with eleven points and five rebounds for the Rams while Nych Smith added nine points and four assists.
 
The Rams return to action on Saturday, December 19, as they host the University of Maine Black Bears in the Rose Hill Gym at 2:00 p.m.
 

 
Notes
Fordham's previous game-highs were: points (89 vs. LIU Brooklyn), field goals (32 vs. Central Connecticut), three-point field goals (12 at UT Arlington), field goal percentage (.564 vs. Manhattan) and assists (21 vs. Colgate).
 
The Rams outrebounded the Eagles 46-25 in the game.
 
Thomas' 27 points brings his career total to 1,233 points, moving him ahead of Steve Samuels (1980-1985), Jason Harris (1997-2001) and Michael Haynes (2000-2004) and into a tie with Darryl Brown (1972-1975) for 17th on the Fordham all-time scoring list.
 
Thomas has scored in double figures in all nine games this year with four 20-point games.
 
Rhoomes five rebounds bring his career total to 699, moving him ahead of John Coalmon (1958-1961) and into eleventh place on the Fordham career rebounding list.
 
Rhoomes also had one block in the game to bring his career total to 110, seventh on the school's all-time blocked shots list.
 
Sophomore guard Thomas Sanchez hit a three-pointer with 20 seconds left for his first collegiate points.
 
Freshman guard Brenton Petty saw his first action for the Rams.
 
The Rams have scored eighty or more points in six of the nine games this year, including six of the past seven.
 
The Rams' 52 first half points was a season-high.
 
The Fordham defense recorded eight steals and now has 90 on the year.