Men’s Basketball Downs CCSU, 86-54

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Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham head coach Jeff Neubauer said that in order for the Rams to consider a defensive effort solid, they would have to hold an opponent to 40 points. Well the Rams came close tonight, limiting Central Connecticut State University to 54 points en route to an 86-54 win over the Blue Devils in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
With the win, Fordham's sixth in a row, the Rams improve to 6-1 while Central Connecticut falls to 0-7. The Rams have won six straight and open a season at 6-1 for the first time since 2000.
 
The recipe of success for Fordham is becoming a familiar scenario: balanced scoring and a stingy defense. Tonight five players scored in double figures, led by Mandell Thomas and Antwoine Anderson with 12 each, and Fordham held Central Connecticut to shooting 38.3% (18-47) from the field while forcing 26 Blue Devil turnovers which the Rams turned into 34 points.
 
The game started out as anything but a defensive battle as neither team seemed to miss a shot over the first four minutes as the Rams held a 12-9 lead at the 15:56 mark and led by four, 18-14, with 12:16 remaining. The Fordham defense then dug in, holding Central Connecticut scoreless over the next 2:32 as the Rams netted eight points to take a 26-14 lead on a Thomas jumper.
 

The Blue Devils shaved the Fordham advantage to eight with 4:46 left in the period, 30-22, when the Ram defense again dug in, shutting out Central Connecticut over the next 2:44 while Fordham came up with 13 unanswered points, led by five points from Thomas, to take a 21-point lead, 43-22.
 
Fordham took a 24-point lead into the break, 47-23, and opened the second half with a 10-4 spurt to take a commanding 57-27 lead 3:05 into the half. Rhoomes led the run for the Rams with four points on a pair of dunks.
 
Rhoomes, Sengfelder and Nych Smith each added ten points for the Rams while Joseph Chartouny added seven points and five assists.
 
The Rams return to action on Tuesday, December 8, as they host the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds in the Rose Hill Gym at 7:00 p.m.
 

 
Notes
Thomas' 12 points brings his career total to 1,178 points, tying him with Jermaine Anderson (2002-2006) for 21^st on the Fordham all-time scoring list.
 
Rhoomes had four rebounds in the game to bring his career total to 688, good for 13th place on the Fordham career rebounding list.
 
Rhoomes, who entered the game second in the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage (.741), increased his field goal percentage to .750 (48-64) with his five-for-six game.
 
Walk-on Chris Downing scored his first collegiate points with a put back layup with 1:10 remaining.
 
The Fordham defense recorded a season-high 12 steals for the second straight game and now have 72 on the year.
 
The Rams led by as many as 39, 73-34, with 9:10 left.
 
The 47 first half points were the most for the Rams in a game this year.
 
The Rams also set a season-high with 32 field goals made.
 
Fordham has scored 80 or more points in five of its last six games and are averaging 81.8 ppg over the six-game winning streak.
 
The Rams have won the past six games by an average margin of 32.2 ppg.
 
The last seven-game winning streak for Fordham came in 1990-1991 when the Rams won 14 straight.