Men's Basketball Falls to St. Bonaventure

Rochester, N.Y. – It was sort of appropriate that the Fordham University men's basketball program played today's game in the Blue Cross Arena. For the Rams, who already lost three players to injuries, were without the service of one other due to illness and had a fifth that played through an illness. In the end it was too much for Fordham to overcome as the Rams fell to St. Bonaventure University, 73-53, in an Atlantic 10 game on Saturday
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 7-11 overall, 1-4 in the Atlantic 10, while St. Bonaventure improves to 11-6 overall, 3-2 in the conference.
 
Besides the three injured players, the Rams were without the services of sophomore forward Prokop Slanina, who did not dress for the game, while sophomore guard Joseph Chartouny played despite also suffering from an illness.
 
The Rams fell despite 16 points and five rebounds from graduate student Javontae Hawkins and 13 points and two steals from redshirt junior guard Antwoine Anderson, who was playing in front of friends and family in his hometown of Rochester.
 
Fordham couldn't overcome a cold second half as the Rams shot 24.1 (7-29) over the final 20 minutes, 2-10 from behind the arc. Fordham went scoreless for a seven minute stretch in the half that allowed the Bonnies to turn a nine-point lead, 54-45, into a 21-point advantage, 76-45.
 
The Rams opened the game hot, taking a 7-2 lead following a Christina Sengfelder three-pointer two minutes into the game, and built the lead to seven, 15-8, on a Hawkins three with 12:12 left in the half.
 
St. Bonaventure used an 8-1 run over the next 2:20 to take a 16-15 with 9:52 on the clock but the Rams responded with a 7-2 spurt to go up 22-18 on a Hawkins dunk with just over eight minutes remaining.
 
Three minutes later, a Sengfelder three tied the game at 25 but the Bonnies outscored the Rams 13-7 over the final five minutes of the half to take a 38-32 lead at the break.
 
The Rams trimmed the St. Bonaventure lead back to five early in the second half, 40-35, but an 11-2 run helped the Bonnies take a 51-37 lead with 15:14 left and the closest Fordham would get from that point was nine, 54-45, with 9:30 left.
 
Will Tavares and Sengfelder each finished with nine points and four rebounds for the Rams.
 
Fordham returns to action on Wednesday night, January 18, as they host the VCU Rams in an Atlantic 10 game in the Rose Hill Gym at 7:00 p.m.
 
Notes
The Rams recorded ten steals, the 12th time this year that Fordham has recorded a double digit steal total.
 
Fordham tied a season-high with 14 offensive rebounds (set against Harvard) and have recorded double digit offensive rebounds in four straight games (45 total in four games).
 
The Bonnies entered the game as the highest scoring Atlantic 10 team, averaging 82.8 ppg.
 
The Rams were outscored 16-2 in bench points.
 
Freshman Chuba Ohams played a season-high 30 minutes (previous high was 12) and also recorded season-highs in scoring (four), rebounds (six) and steals (two).
 
Fordham lost for the first time in five Ram games played in Rochester (it was the Rams' first appearance in the Flower City since the Rams won the 1970 Kodak Classic).