Men's Basketball Picks Up Fifth A-10 Road Win

Pittsburgh, Pa. – If you were to Google resiliency (or look it up in the dictionary for the old school crowd) you may very well find a team photo of the 2016-2017 Fordham University men's basketball team. Despite playing their second straight game without sophomore guard Joseph Chartouny, seeing redshirt junior guard Antwoine Anderson leave the game in the second half with an injury (he would return to the game) and having two players foul out, the Rams didn't back down, defeating Duquesne University, 70-52, in an Atlantic 10 game in the A.J. Palumbo Center.
 
With the win, Fordham's third straight, the Rams improve to 13-15 overall, 7-8 in the Atlantic 10, while Duquesne falls to 10-18 overall, 3-12 in the conference. The win is also Fordham's fifth road A-10 win of the year, matching the 2006-2007 squad for most road A-10 victories in a season.
 
Fordham has now won 15 Atlantic 10 games over the past two years, one more than the Rams won the previous seven years combined.
 
The Rams came out on top behind the efforts of graduate student guard Javontae Hawkins and junior forward Christian Sengfelder. Hawkins netted a game-high 20 points, shooting 7-for-14 from the field and he pulled down five rebounds, while Sengfelder finished with 19 points, making five three-pointers, and he grabbed seven rebounds.
 
For the third straight game, the Fordham defense also shined as the Rams held the Dukes, who entered the game averaging over 71 points per game, to their lowest offensive output of the year and held the home team to shooting 14.3 percent (2-14) from behind the arc.
 
Unlike the first meeting between the two teams, Fordham controlled the boards tonight, outrebounding Duquesne, 33-21. Eleven of the 33 Ram rebounds came off the offensive glass.
 
Fordham led by six at the break, 32-26, and were up six again, 35-29, a minute into the second half when a Sengfelder three started a 10-2 Ram spurt as Fordham took a 45-31 lead following a Cavit Havsa layup with 15:57 remaining.
 
The Dukes managed to get the Fordham lead down to ten five times over the next nine minutes, the final at 56-46 with 6:30 left. But the Rams outscored Duquesne 12-2 over the next five minutes to take a commanding 68-48 lead, Fordham's largest lead of the night, following a pair of Anderson free throws with 1:41 on the clock.
 
Havsa finished with a season-high ten points, shooting 4-for-5 from the field, and he added three assists and two steals, while Will Tavares and Anderson each netted seven with Anderson adding six assists.
 
The Rams return to action on Saturday, February 25, as they host the University of Richmond Spiders in an Atlantic 10 contest in the Rose Hill Gym at 2:30 p.m.
 
Notes
 
Fordham has won two of the past three meetings with Duquesne (both wins coming in Pittsburgh) but the Dukes still lead the all-time series, 21-15.
 
The Rams drew four charging calls (two by Chuba Ohams and one each from Jesse Bunting and Havsa) and Anderson also drew a Duquesne offensive foul in the game.
 
The Dukes outrebounded the Rams, 59-32, in the first meeting this year.
 
The Rams are now 12-2 on the season when leading at the half.
 
Fordham's last three opponents have shot just 16.3 percent (8-49) from behind the arc and 35.5 percent (49-138) from the field.
 
The Rams held Duquesne's leading scorer, Mike Lewis II, without a field goal in the first half and to just two in the second half.
 
Fordham recorded 19 assists on 24 made baskets.
 
The Rams shot 51.1 percent (24-47) from the field, the fourth time this year they have shot over 50 percent in a game.
 
Sengfelder's 19 points brings his career total to 1,021, good for 35th on the school's all-time scoring list.
 
Sengfelder's five threes brings his career total to 154, good for tenth on the Fordham career list. He is just two behind Bryan Smith (2011-2015) for ninth place.
 
Hawkins recorded his team-leading 22nd double digit scoring game of the year and his third 20-point game.
 
Havsa's previous season-high in scoring was four, which he accomplished twice.
 
Former Ram Jack Burik, who played at Fordham from 1968-1971, was in attendance.
 
Duquesne retired jersey #13 in honor of former Duke Mike James, who played 12 years in the NBA, prior to the game.