Men’s Basketball Knocks Off Saint Joseph’s

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Bronx, N.Y. (February 15, 2015) – Fordham University honored the 1974-1975 ECAC Holiday Festival Championship team today and Mandell Thomas did his best Darryl Brown, who led the feted version of the Rams in scoring and rebounding, impression in the scoring column, netting a game-high 20 points, and Ryan Rhoomes did his best Brown impersonation on the boards, grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds, to lead the Rams to a 69-55 Atlantic 10 win over Saint Joseph's University in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
With the win, Fordham's second over the past three games, the Rams improve to 7-16 overall, 2-6 in the Atlantic 10, while Saint Joseph's falls to 11-13 overall, 5-7 in the conference.  
 
The Rams won with a combination of a strong defense (holding the Hawks to shooting just 34.5% (20-58) from the field), control of the boards (out rebounding Saint Joseph's 40-27), and balanced scoring (four players finished in double figures). Christian Sengfelder netted 15 points for the Rams, while also grabbing nine rebounds, while Bryan Smith (12) and Eric Paschall (10) also finished with double figures.
 

The Rams started out slowly as Saint Joseph's came out hot from long distance, hitting three of its first four three-pointers to open a 15-9 lead 6:07 into the game.
 
The Hawks led by six again later in the half, 19-13, when a pair of Paschall free throws started the Rams on a 7-0 spurt as Fordham took its first lead of the day, 20-19, on a Thomas three-pointer with 8:29 left in the half.
 
Back-to-back Saint Joseph's baskets gave the Hawks a 23-20 lead just over a minute later but a Paschall jumper was the first two of six unanswered points for the Rams as the home squad built a 29-23 lead with 3:16 on the clock and Fordham took a 31-26 lead into the break.
 
Fordham bumped the lead to six, 33-27, in the first minute of the second half but Saint Joseph's netted six straight to take a one-point lead, 34-33, with 17:35 remaining.
 
A Sengfelder three halted the Hawks' run and started a 15-2 Fordham spurt as the Rams took a 48-36 lead following a Thomas jumper at the 12:57 mark.
 
The Rams got the lead to as many as 13, 51-38, before Saint Joseph's managed to pare back the advantage to six, 55-49, with 6:49 left. But a Smith trifecta got the Rams back in the scoring column and, following a Thomas three two minute later, the Rams had a double digit lead again, 61-49, and the Hawks would get no closer.
 
Paschall added eight rebounds for the Rams while Thomas dished out six assists and Smith had four.
 
The Rams return to action on Wednesday, February 18, as they travel to Fairfax, Virginia, to face the George Mason University Patriots in an Atlantic 10 matchup at 7:00 p.m.
 
Notes
Rhoomes is averaging 10.5 rpg over the past four games… Sengfelder is averaging 16.3 ppg and 9.0 rpg over the past three games… Thomas had a steal in the game to bring his team-leading total to 50… He has at least one steal in all but two games this year… Smith is averaging 13.0 ppg in two games with Saint Joseph's this year… The Rams came up a point shy of their fifth straight 70-point game… Fordham is averaging 74.8 ppg over the past five games… Saint Joseph's outrebounded Fordham 42-25 in the first meeting this year… The Hawks' shooting percentage of 34.5 was the lowest of any Fordham opponent this year… The Rams are holding opponents to shooting 39.5 percent from the field (91-228) over the past four games… The win snapped a ten-gamed Saint Joseph's winning streak against Fordham.