Men’s Basketball Handles Harvard

Bronx, N.Y. – Over 148 years ago, Fordham University and Harvard University each laid claim to magenta as its school color. The schools decided to play a series of baseball games with the winner keeping it as their official color. There was nothing that significant on the line today when the two school paired up for a basketball game but you couldn't have told by the way each team fought until the end with the Rams coming out on top, 68-60, in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
With the win , Fordham improves to 6-1 on the season while Harvard falls to 5-2.
 
Junior center Abdou Tsimbila had a career day, scoring 16 points and adding 15 rebounds, both career-highs, as he notched his first career double-double. Grad student guard Darius Quisenberry netted a game-high 18 points for the Rams while Kyle Rose (13) and Khalid Moore (10) also finished in double figures.
 
Fordham led by seven at the half, 31-24, and got the lead to as many as 13, 46-33, following a Quisenberry three with 14:23 left.
 
The Crimson started to chip away at the Fordham lead, eventually getting it to two, 54-52, with 5:18 remaining.
 
The game would be a two-point game two more times over the next 3:26, the last at 58-56 with 1:48 on the clock. A Moore layup started an 80-0 Fordham run as the Rams built a ten-point lead, 66-56 with 19 seconds left.
 
Takeaways
• The Frank McLaughlin Family Court was officially dedicated at halftime with a special ceremony honoring the long-time Fordham icon and his family.
 
• McLaughlin, a 1969 Fordham College graduate, served as head coach at Harvard from 1977-1985 before becoming athletic director at his alma mater.
 
• Even though Fordham won the baseball series, Harvard refused to surrender the color magenta. So, the Rams went with Maroon and shortly after that Harvard settled on Crimson.
 
• The Rams are 6-0 at home this year, the first 6-0 start in the Rose Hill Gym since 2018, the first against six Div. I teams since 2006.
 
• The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Fordham against Harvard.
 
• The Rams now lead the all-time series, 9-7.
 
• Darius Quisenberry has scored in double figures in all seven games this year.
 
By the Numbers
7 – Blocks by Fordham, led by a career-high five by Abdou Tsimbila.
 
15- Rebounds by Abdou Tsimbila, a career-high (previous high was 12 vs. Stonehill on Tuesday).
 
16- Points scored by Abdou Tsimbila, a career-high (previous high was ten at UMass last March).
 
21.7% - Harvard's three-point shooting percentage.
 
671 – All-time Fordham wins in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
1,550 – All-time wins for the Rams.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams will host the University of Maine Black Bears in the historic Rose Hill Gym on Wednesday, November 30 at 7:30 p.m.
 
• It will be the fifth meeting between Fordham and Maine on the hardwood, the first since 2018.
 
• The all-time series is tied, 2-2.
 
• The Black Bears took the last meeting, 75-68, in double overtime in Orono on December 4, 2018.
 
• Fordham is 13-4 all-time against schools currently in the America East Conference.