Bronx, N.Y. - A basketball court is 94 feet long but it was the 15 feet from the free throw line to the basket that was the difference tonight as Fordham University was outscored 23-5 at the charity stripe by the University of Dayton which helped the Flyers upend the Rams, 75-66, in an Atlantic 10 contest in the Rose Hill Gym.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 9-13 overall, 3-6 in the Atlantic 10, while Dayton improves to 16-5 overall, 7-2 in the conference as the Flyers move into a first place tie in the Atlantic 10.
The Rams fell despite 21 points from junior forward
Christian Sengfelder, who shot 8-for-13 in the game, including 5-for-9 from behind the arc, and 14 points, eight assists and four rebounds from sophomore guard
Joseph Chartouny.
Besides the free throw discrepancy, the Rams endured two difference halves from behind the arc, shooting 9-for-17 from long distance in the first half but only 2-for-9 in the second.
Joseph Chartouny
Fordham used the nine first half three-pointers to enter the break tied at 39 and the game would be tied four times over the first 6:27 of the second half before the Rams netted five straight points to take a 58-53 lead on an
Antwoine Anderson three-point play with 11:34 remaining.
The Flyers responded with a 12-2 spurt to take a four-point lead, 65-60, after a pair of Charles Cooke free throws with 4:10 left on the clock.
A Sengfelder lay in, off a Chartouny assist, 19 seconds later pulled Fordham within two, 64-62, and the Rams would trail by two again less than a minute later, 66-64, after a
Will Tavares layup. But back-to-back baskets by Cooke and Scoochie Smith over the next 1:09 boosted the Dayton lead to six, 70-64, with 2:02 left.
Two Chartouny free throws with 1:40 remaining made it a four-point game, 70-66, which is as close as the Rams would get.
Anderson also scored in double figures for the Rams with 12 points to go with four rebounds and three assists.
Fordham returns to action on Saturday, February 4, as they travel to Philadelphia to take on the Saint Joseph's University Hawks in the Hagen Arena at 6:00 p.m.
Notes
Chartouny also had two steals in the game to bring his season total to 73, the fourth best single season total in school history (the school record is 78 by Jason Harris in 1999-2000).
Sengfelder's five three-pointers was one shy of his career-high, set against St. John's earlier this year, and brings his career total to 142, the tenth best total in Fordham history.
Freshman guard Civit Havsa dished out a season-high three assists.
The game was the first this year in which the Rams were tied at the half.
Fordham committed ten turnovers but forced 16 Dayton miscues, the 18th time this year that the Rams had fewer turnovers than their opponent.
WFUV alum Spero Dedes called the game for the CBS Sports Network.
