Men's Basketball Opens Season With Win Over St. Francis Brooklyn

Bronx, N.Y. Albert Einstein once said, "The only source of knowledge is experience." That quote is apropos for the 2019-2020 Fordham men's basketball team. With 12 players returning from last winter, the Rams needed that experience tonight as they battled back from a 14-point second half deficit to defeat St. Francis College, 68-59, in the season opener for both teams.
 
Chuba Ohams led the Rams with a double-double, scoring 19 points and adding 13 rebounds to tie his career-high in each category, while Ivan Raut added 15 points and five rebounds. Antwon Portley (14) and Erten Gazi (11) also finished in double figures with Portley adding six assists.
 
The Rams trailed by 14, 46-32, with 14:27 left, and then by 12, 50-38, with just under 12 minutes on the clock when the Fordham defense kicked into high gear, allowing just nine points the rest of the way. Ohams started the Fordham comeback with a jumper in the lane that ignited a 10-0 run as the Rams pulled within two, 50-48, with 8:22 remaining.
 
The Terriers got the lead back to six, 54-48, just over a minute later but Fordham used a 14-2 spurt to take a six-point lead, 62-56, with 1:40 left and the Rams held on for the win.
 
Takeaways
• Fordham outscored St. Francis, 32-20, in the paint.
 
• The Rams held the Terriers to just four offensive rebounds and outscored the Terriers, 12-4, on second chance points.
 
• Freshmen Kyle Rose and Joel Soriano scored their first collegiate points in the game.
 
• Trey Quartlebaum, son of Fordham alum Fred who played for the Rams from 1985-1989, is a freshman guard for the Terriers.
 
• The Rams won their second straight opener and are now 76-35 (.685) in season openers since 1908, 81-19 (.810) in home openers.
 
• The Rams now lead the all-time series, which started in the 1905-06 season, 25-12.
 
• The game was the earliest season opener in Fordham his­tory (the previous earliest season opener was last year when the Rams hosted the CCNY Beavers on November 6).
 
By the Numbers
10 – Steals recorded by Fordham.
 
11 – Points scored by Erten Gazi, a career-high (previous high was eight which he accomplished twice, most recently last year at St. Bonaventure).
 
13 – Rebounds for Chuba Ohams, tying his career-high.
 
19 – Points for Chuba Ohams, tying his career-high.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams return to action on Wednesday, November 13, as they host FDU in the historic Rose Hill Gym at 7:00 p.m.
 
• It will be the third meeting between Fordham and FDU on the hardwood.
 
• The Rams won the first two matchups, including an 85-62 win in the Rose Hill Gym on November 21, 2015, as part of the Johnny Bach Classic.
 
• It will be Fordham's second straight game against an NEC opponent.