Men’s Basketball Takes Down George Mason, 73-62

Bronx, N.Y. – Fordham freshman guard Joseph Chartouny returned to action tonight after missing five games with an injury. But it was the player who started in his absence who stole the show as sophomore Antwoine Anderson scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Rams to a 73-62 Atlantic 10 win over George Mason University in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
With the win, Fordham snaps a three-game losing streak and improves to 11-6 overall, 2-4 in the Atlantic 10, while George Mason falls to 7-12 overall, 1-5 in the conference. The eleven wins for Fordham are the most in a season since the 2007-2008 squad won 12 games.
 
Anderson shot a sizzling 9-for-10 from the field, including two-for-three from behind the arc, and added three assists while Christian Sengfelder finished with 16 points and four rebounds.
 
After three losses in which Fordham's opponents averaged 87.0 ppg, the Rams played solid defense tonight, holding George Mason to 63 points and shooting just 37.5 percent (18-48) from the field. The Rams also forced 17 turnovers, including nine steals, which Fordham turned into 20 points.
 

Fordham jumped out to a 17-9 lead seven minutes into the game, thanks to six points from Mandell Thomas, and would get the lead to as many as eleven, 30-19, following an Anderson layup with 5:11 remaining.
 
The Patriots cut the Fordham advantage back to seven, 30-23, 1:23 later before a Thomas jumper and Sengfelder three gave Fordham its biggest lead of the half, 35-23, with 2:33 on the clock and the Rams took a 37-28 lead into the break.
 
A Sengfelder layup off a Chartouny steal early in the second half bumped the Fordham lead back to double digits and Fordham would take a 14-point lead, 47-33, on a pair of Sengfelder free throw with 14:05 remaining.
 
But George Mason started to whittle away at the Fordham advantage, getting it down to six, 52-46, with 9:21 left.
 
Fordham built the lead back to eight, 56-48, on two Chartouny free throws before George Mason used an 8-4 spurt to pull within four, 60-56, with just under five minutes remaining.
 
After the two teams exchanged baskets, an Anderson three started an 8-0 Fordham run as the Rams took a 70-58 lead with a minute left and went on to the 73-62 victory.
 
Thomas added eleven points for Fordham while Ryan Rhoomes finished with ten points and eight rebounds.
 
Fordham returns to action on Sunday, January 24, as they host the University of Dayton Flyers in an Atlantic 10 game in the Rose Hill Gym at 4:00 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast on the CBS Sports Network.
 

 
Notes
The Rams had a moment of silence prior to the game in memory of Fordham great Johnny Bach, who passed away on Monday.
 
Anderson's previous career-high was 18 points vs. Siena last year.
 
Rhoomes' eight rebounds bring his career total to 775, good for ninth on the Fordham career rebounding list.
 
Rhoomes also had one block to bring his career total to 124, fifth all-time for the Rams.
 
Rhoomes has now scored in double figures in 16 of the 17 games in 2015-2016.
 
Thomas' eleven points bring his career scoring total to 1,313, placing him 15th on the Fordham all-time list.
 
Thomas hit three three-pointers tonight and now has 148 in his career, good for ninth on the all-time list.
 
Fordham has won all six meetings with George Mason.
 
The Rams were outscored 21-12 from the free throw line.
 
Fordham won despite being outrebounded, 41-27, the Rams' first win in five games this year when being outrebounded.
 
Former Rams Bryan Smith, Marcus Stout and Dominic Osei were in attendance.
 
Director of Basketball Operations Mike DePaoli celebrated his birthday tonight.