Men's Basketball Falls to Florida State

Montego Bay, Jamaica – It's been in the 80's all week in Montego Bay but unfortunately for the Rams that heat didn't follow them inside as Fordham connected on just one three-pointer and fell to Florida State University, 67-43, in the inaugural Jamaica Classic in the Montego Bay Convention Centre.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 1-2 on the year while Florida State improves to 2-0.
 
The Rams fell despite a career-high 18 points from senior Will Tavares, the lone Fordham player in double figures.
 
Fordham shot just 23.1 percent from the field (12-52) and 4.5 percent (1-12) from behind the arc as the Rams offense was stifled by a strong Seminole defense who forced 23 Fordham turnovers and blocked nine Ram shots.
 
The game opened slowly offensively for both teams with Florida State holding a 9-8 lead 6:43 into the contest. But the Seminoles went on a 10-1 run to take a ten-point lead, 19-9, with 8:53 left in the half.
 
The Rams managed to pare the FSU lead down to six, 20-14, following a Tavares three with 6:17 left but the Seminoles answered with an 11-2 run to go up 31-16 at the 2:43 mark, and took a 17-point lead into the break, 35-18.
 
Fordham didn't have much better luck in the second half, being held to just four free throws over the first ten minutes as Florida State took a commanding 50-22 lead midway through the period.
 
Takeaways
 
The Rams were just 5-for-12 from the charity stripe in the first half but went a perfect 13-for-13 in the second.
 
After connecting on a Fordham freshman-record seven three-pointers in the win over LIU on Monday, rookie Ivan Raut was held without a basket tonight, going 0-for-6 from behind the arc (he was a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw stripe).
 
The game was the first ever between Fordham and Florida State.
 
Florida State wore special turquoise uniforms tonight as part of Native American Heritage Month. The color turquoise represents "harmony, friendship and fellowship in Native American culture."
 
By the Numbers
 
4 – Steals by Joseph Chartouny, bringing his season total to 13.
 
8 – Steals by the Rams, bringing their season total to 30 in three games.
 
11 – Career-high rebounds for Joseph Chartouny in the game (previous high was ten which he did three times, the last at UMass last year).
 
14 – Offensive rebounds for the Rams, a season-high
 
18 – Points for Will Tavares, a career-high (previous career-best was 15 against Miami (OH) in the season opener.
 
163 – Career steals by Joseph Chartouny, ranking him ninth on the Fordham career list.
 
What's Next?
 
The Rams will face the Tulane University Green Wave on Sunday night, November, 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Montego Bay Convention Center.
 
The game will be part of the Jamaica Classic.
 
It will be the second meeting between the two teams with Tulane winning the first matchup, 80-69, in the 1999 season-opener in the New Orleans Arena. It was the first basketball game played in the arena.