Amherst, Mass. – Canadian singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette played at the Mullins Center almost 25 years ago tonight. One of her more popular songs, Ironic, could apply to the Fordham men's basketball squad tonight. The Rams outshot Massachusetts this evening but it was the type of shot that did the Rams in as the Minutemen connected on five more three-pointers than the Rams to defeat Fordham, 60-54, in an Atlantic 10 contest.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 1-9 overall, 1-9 in the Atlantic 10, while Massachusetts improves to 6-4 overall, 5-2 in the conference.
Senior guard
Josh Navarro led the Rams with a game-high 17 points, and he added three assists, while sophomore forward
Joel Soriano notched another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds.
The Rams trailed by ten at the half, 33-23, and were down nine, 50-41, with 4:57 left but the visitors wouldn't go away, getting as close as four, 55-51, on a Soriano jumper with 1:31 on the clock but that was as close as the Rams would get.
Takeaways
•
Joel Soriano recorded his second straight double-double, and his sixth of the season.
• Soriano now has a double-double in eleven of his last 16 games dating back to last year.
• The Rams outscored the Minutemen in the paint, 36-22.
• The game was much different from the first game where UMass led 44-15 at the half.
• The Minutemen entered the game second in the Atlantic 10, and 34th in the country, in scoring offense, averaging 80.2 ppg, but averaged just 62.5 ppg in two games with Fordham.
• Fordham's first Atlantic 10 road win occurred at UMass, a 66-60 victory on February 14, 1999.
• Neither team had played a game in a week. Fordham's last game was last Wednesday night while UMass' last played on January 24.
By the Numbers
4 - Charges drawn by the Rams, two by
Josh Navarro.
11 – Points for sophomore guard
Kyle Rose, tying his career-high.
17 – Points for
Josh Navarro, tying his career-high (it was his third career 17-point game).
30 – Defensive rebounds by the Rams, tying a season-high.
45.8% - Fordham's field goal percentage in the game (22-48), a season-high.
60 – Points scored by UMass, tying its season-low.
What's Next?
• The Rams continue their 2020-2021 Atlantic 10 season on Sunday, February 6, as they host the La Salle University Explorers in the historic Rose Hill Gym at 12:30 p.m.
• The game will be broadcast on the NBC Sports Network.
• The game replaces the originally scheduled Fordham-Davidson game scheduled for Saturday as the Wildcats are currently on pause from team activities.
• The contest will replace the originally scheduled game between Fordham and La Salle on March 3.
• It will be the 61st meeting between Fordham and La Salle on the hardwood.
• The Explorers lead the all-time series, which started in the 1953-54 season, 43-17, and took this year's first meeting, 89-52, on January 2, in the Rose Hill Gym as five Explorers scored in double figures, led by Sherif Kenney with 18, while
Joel Soriano paced the Rams with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
