Men's Basketball Takes Battle of the Bronx

Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham and Manhattan women's basketball teams met earlier in the day in the Rose Hill Gym in a game that went down to the wire, with the Rams pulling out a 65-61 win. Not to be outdone the two schools' men's team squared off in the 111th version of the Battle of the Bronx that was decided on a Nick Honor jumper in the lane with less than three seconds remaining as the Rams upended the Jaspers, 57-56, in the Draddy Gym.
 
With the win, Fordham improves to 6-1 on the season while Manhattan falls to 2-5.
 
A Pauly Paulicap layup with 25 seconds left gave the Jaspers a 56-55 lead, Manhattan's only lead of the second half. The Rams inbounded the ball and got it to Honor who faked a three and drove into the lane where he got off a jumper that was nothing but net.
 
Manhattan had one last chance but a half court heave went over the basket as the horn sounded.
 
Redshirt junior Antwon Portley led Fordham with 14 points, shooting four-for-six from behind the arc, and he added seven assists to earn Doc Johnson MVP honors. Honor finished with 13 points while freshman guard Jalen Cobb netted double figures for the Rams with eleven.
 
Takeaways
• Nick Honor has scored in double figures in each of his first seven collegiate games.
 
• Jalen Cobb has scored in double figures in three straight games and four of the past five.
 
• Antwon Portley has plenty of experience playing against Manhattan, facing off with the Jaspers four times in his first two collegiate seasons at Saint Peter's.
 
• The Rams have taken four of the last six meetings with the Jaspers.
 
• Manhattan entered the game averaging 52.2 ppg, the third lowest total in the NCAA Division I.
 
• Fordham was outrebounded in the game, 36-27, but improve to 3-0 this year when being outrebounded.
 
• Three Rams fouled out of the game (Chuba Ohams, Jesse Bunting, and Onyi Eyisi), the first time a Fordham player fouled out of a game this year.
 
• Fordham recorded its first win in the Draddy Gym since 2013.
 
By the Numbers
4 – Blocks by the Rams tonight, led by two from Jesse Bunting, who entered the game leading the Atlantic 10 in blocks/game (5.7).
 
13 – Fordham points scored off turnovers as the Rams forced 15 Manhattan turnovers.
 
32:07 – Amount of game time that Fordham led in the contest.
 
39.1% - Field goal percentage for Manhattan tonight, the fourth time in seven games that the Rams have held an opponent to shooting under 40 percent.
 
54 – All-time wins by Fordham over Manhattan, the most wins over any opponents for the Rams.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams will travel to Bangor, Maine, to face the University of Maine Black Bears on Tuesday, December 4, in the Cross Insurance Center at 7:00 p.m.
 
• It will be the first game played by Fordham men's basketball in the state of Maine.
 
• It will be the fourth meeting between Fordham and Maine on the hardwood.
 
• Fordham leads the all-time series, 2-1, after taking last year's meeting, 67-66, in overtime in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
• The Rams are 15-4 all-time against teams currently in the America East Conference (7-0 vs. Vermont, 3-1 vs. Hartford, 2-0 vs. Binghamton, 1-1 vs. Maine, 1-0 vs. New Hampshire, and 0-1 vs. UMass Lowell and Boston University).