Kingston, R.I. – NFL referee Gene Steratore was part of the officiating crew for tonight's Fordham-Rhode Island Atlantic 10 men's basketball game at the Ryan Center which was appropriate as the game was as physical as a football game but the visiting Rams ran out of gas down the stretch as Fordham fell to Rhode Island, 79-63.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 11-8 overall, 2-6 in the Atlantic 10, while Rhode Island improves to 12-8 overall, 4-3 in the conference.
Fordham fell despite
Ryan Rhoomes notching his fifth double-double of the year, and the 12th of his career, with a team-high 18 points along with ten rebounds.
Mandell Thomas (13),
Jon Severe (12) and David Pekárek (10) also scored in double figures for Fordham with Thomas adding four steals.
Fordham trailed by three, 53-50, following a pair of
Joseph Chartouny free throws with 11:19 remaining when Rhode Island went on a 13-4 run to take a 66-54 lead at the 8:23 mark.
A Rhoomes three-point play and pair of charity shots over the next 1:22 pulled Fordham within seven, 66-59, but Rhode Island scored eleven of the next 12 points to take a commanding 77-60 lead with 2:19 left.
Rhode Island jumped out to a 9-4 lead over the first 3:47 but jumpers from Thomas and Chartouny and a Pekárek three gave Fordham an 11-9 lead with 14:50 remaining in the half.
Fordham led by two again fifty seconds later after a Thomas layup, 13-11, before Rhode Island scored 13 unanswered points to take a 24-13 lead midway through the half.
Later in the half, Fordham used a Rhoomes layup, Severe jumper and Thomas three to reduce an eleven-point Rhode Island lead to just four, 34-30, with 2:54 left and, thanks to a Thomas buzzer-beating three, Fordham trailed by that same margin at the break, 39-35.
Fordham opened the second half with a 7-4 spurt to get the Rhode Island lead down to one, 43-42, just over four minutes into the period and the Fordham deficit would fluctuate between three and six over the next six minutes before Rhode Island used a 7-0 run to take the 66-54 lead with 8:23 remaining.
Fordham returns to action on Saturday, January 30, as the Rams travel to Amherst, Mass., to face the University of Massachusetts Minutemen in an Atlantic 10 game in the Mullins Center at 12:00 p.m. The game will be televised on the NBC Sports Network.
Video NotesRhoomes' ten rebounds bring his career total to 791, good for ninth on the Fordham career rebounding list.
Thomas' 13 points bring his career total to 1,337, placing him 14
th on the school's all-time scoring list.
Thomas connected on three three-pointers in the game, giving him 154 for his career, ninth on the Fordham career list.
Thomas' four steals give him 190 over his Fordham career.
Pekárek tied his season-high with the ten points (he also scored ten at George Washington).
Nemanja Zarkovic got his first start of the year in place of an injured
Antwoine Anderson.
Fordham was not credited with a blocked shot for just the second time this season.
Head coach
Jeff Neubauer celebrated a birthday on Wednesday.
Former Rams John Pugh and Luke Devine were in attendance.
