Men’s Basketball Falls at Richmond, 71-67

Richmond, Va. - The Fordham University men's basketball squad led for more than half of the Atlantic 10 game tonight at the University of Richmond, even holding a one-point advantage with 1:25 remaining, but the Rams couldn't hold on, falling to the Spiders, 71-67 in the Robins Center.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 12-11 overall, 3-9 in the Atlantic 10, while Richmond improves to 14-10 overall, 6-6 in the conference.
 
The loss overshadowed a Twin Towers-type performance from senior Ryan Rhoomes and sophomore Christian Sengfelder who did their best Ralph Sampson and Akeem Olajuwon impersonations as both Rams finished with a double-double. Rhoomes, who notched his sixth of the year, finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds while Sengfelder added 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds for his first double-double of the year.
 

Rhoomes and Sengfelder helped Fordham dominate the boards, outrebounding Richmond 40-28, including 17-3 on the offensive glass.
 
The game was almost a polar opposite game from the first meeting between the teams this year when the Spiders won a 92-83 shootout.
 
Fordham took its largest lead of the night, 59-50, following a Joseph Chartouny layup with 5:10 remaining but six straight Richmond points over the next 1:38 trimmed the Fordham advantage to three, 59-56.
 
Chartouny bumped the Fordham lead back to six on an old fashioned three-point play with 3:36 on the clock but the Spiders answered with a T.J. Cline three 24 seconds later to make it a three-point game again, 62-59.
 
A minute later, a pair of Terry Allen free throws pulled Richmond within one, 62-61, and the Spiders turned a Fordham turnover into two ShawnDre' Jones free throw as Richmond took a 63-62 lead with 1:52 remaining.
 
On the ensuing offensive possession the Rams got the ball down low to Rhoomes who was fouled and his two free throws put Fordham back in front, 64-63, with 1:25 left.
 
Jones struck again for the Spiders with a jumper with just under a minute remaining to put Richmond up one, 65-64. The Rams turned the ball over shortly after inbounding the ball which led to a Richmond layup with 49 seconds on the clock.
 
A Sengfelder corner three bounced out with 25 seconds on the clock and the Rams fouled Trey Davis ion the rebound. After Davis hit one of two free throws the Rams quickly got the ball to David Pekarek who nailed a three with 18 seconds left to pull the Rams within one, 68-67.
 
Jones made only one of two free throws with 16 seconds left giving the Rams one last chance for the tie or the win. Chartouny drove into the lane but his jumper came off the rim to Pekarek but he couldn't control the ball and turned it over. Davis hit a pair of charity shots with two seconds left for the 71-67 final.
 
Pekarek finished with 13 points and five rebounds for the Rams while Chartouny added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists.
 
The Rams return to action on Wednesday, February 17, as they host the University of Massachusetts Minutemen for an Atlantic 10 game in the Rose Hill Gym at 7:00 p.m. in a game that will be televised live on the American Sports Network (ASN).
 
Notes
Former Richmond head coach Dick Tarrant, a Fordham graduate who coached the Rams' freshman team at one point, was at shoot around today. The court at Richmond bears his name and the school named its live spider mascot after him.
 
The game marked the return to Richmond for Fordham head coach Jeff Neubauer, who served as an assistant coach for the Spiders from 1996 until 2002.
 
The 17 offensive rebounds was a season-high for Fordham (previous high was 16 first set against St. John's and matched in the La Salle game).
 
Rhoomes' 12 rebounds bring his career total to 833, good for seventh on the Fordham career list.
 
Rhoomes tied his career-high for free throws made with nine (he set the mark in the La Salle game earlier this year).
 
Sengfelder's 15 rebounds was a season-high and one shy of his career-high of 16 set against UMass last year.
 
Ryan Canty hit a jumper in the first half, his first points since the Maine game in December.
 
Richmond has taken the past eleven meetings with Fordham and leads the all-time series, 16-7.
 
The Rams were looking win their second Atlantic 10 road game this year which Fordham hasn't done since 2007-200 (Fordham was also looking to win its first back-to-back Atlantic 10 road games since 2006-2007).
 
The game marked the third time this season that Fordham lost with four players scoring in double figures (the first was the season opener at UT Arlington and the other the first Richmond game).
 
Richmond started three seniors and two juniors tonight compared to the Rams who started just one senior (Rhoomes) along with two sophomores and two freshmen.