Men’s Basketball Wins Ninth Straight

Photo Gallery
 
Bronx, N.Y. – At the Tip Off Dinner in early November, Fordham men's basketball head coach Jeff Neubauer told the crowd that Johnny Bach, the all-time winningest coach in Fordham history, once told another coach that you should "never, ever, ever, ever lose at home." And the 2015-2016 Rams have taken that to heart, winning their ninth straight home game with a 70-53 decision over the University of Maine in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
With the win, Fordham improves to 9-1 on the year while Maine falls to 2-8. The nine-game winning streak for the Ram is the longest since the 1990-1991 season and the 9-1 start is Fordham's best since 1970.
 
Prior to the game, if someone had said that Mandell Thomas and Jon Severe, who averaged 18.8 ppg and 11.8 ppg, respectively, entering the game, would combine to score just seven points, the expected outcome for the Rams would have been questionable. But freshman guard Joseph Chartouny stepped up, scoring a season-high 21 points to go with a season-best seven steals while senior forward Ryan Rhoomes recorded his third double-double of the year with eleven points and ten boards to lead the Rams.
 

Fordham also displayed its usual solid defense today, holding Maine to shooting 38.3% (18-47) from the field and forcing 27 turnovers which turned into 25 Ram points.
 
Maine jumped out to a 13-8 lead six minutes into the contest and led by three, 20-17, following a pair of Devine Eke free throws with 8:54 left in the half when an Antwoine Anderson charity shot was the first of nine straight Fordham points as the Rams took a 26-20 lead on a Chartouny three-pointer with 4:12 on the clock. Chartouny scored the final five points of the run for the Rams.
 
After the Black Bears cut the Fordham lead to three, 26-23, the Rams recorded eight unanswered points to build the lead to eleven, 34-23, on an Anderson steal and dunk with just over a minute left and Fordham took a 35-26 lead at the break.
 
Fordham bumped the lead to 17 over the first 6:25 of the second half, 47-30, keyed by four points from Thomas but Maine got the down to ten, 57-47, on a Kevin Little three-pointer with 5:27 left. An Anderson layup and Chartouny three over the next minute got the Fordham advantage back to 15 and the closest the Black Bears would get from that point was 12.
 
Anderson  finished with nine points and three assists for the Rams while David Pekarek added nine points and five rebounds.
 
Fordham returns to action on Tuesday, December 22, as they face Boston College in the Atlantic 10/ACC Challenge at the Barclays Center at 3:30 p.m.
 
Notes
Christian Sengfelder did not play due to injury, the first game he has missed at Fordham (he had started all 40 games he has appeared in until today).
 
Chartouny's previous season high for scoring was 17, set against LIU Brooklyn, while he previous season-high in steals was five, set against FDU.
 
Chartouny's seven steals is the most in a game for any Atlantic 10 player this year.
 
Thomas' four points brings his career total to 1,237 points, moving him ahead Darryl Brown (1972-1975) and into 17th on the Fordham all-time scoring list.
 
Rhoomes' ten rebounds bring his career total to 709, good for eleventh place on the Fordham career rebounding list.
 
Rhoomes also had two blocks in the game to bring his career total to 112, sixth on the school's all-time blocked shots list.
 
Fordham's 16 steals is the third most in a game by an Atlantic 10 school this year.
 
The Rams limited Maine to just four offensive rebounds and the Black Bears scored no second chance points.