Men’s Basketball Comes Up Short vs. VCU

Bronx, N.Y. – An overused adage in sports is "there's no quit in this team." But that is the perfect way to define the 2021-2022 Fordham men's basketball squad. Playing their first home game since February 2, the Rams found themselves down by 17 in the first half but battled back in the second, getting as close as three, before succumbing to the VCU Rams, 66-61, in an Atlantic 10 game in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 11-13 overall, 4-8 in the Atlantic 10, while VCU improves to 17-7 overall, 10-3 in the conference.
 
Fordham was led by grad student guard Josh Colon-Navarro, who scored a career-high 20 points, shooting 9-for-9 from the free throw line, while grad student forward Chuba Ohams notched his 14th double-double of the year with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Kyle Rose also finished in double figures for Fordham with 12 points.
 
Fordham trailed by 17 late in the first half, 38-21, and were behind by 16 at the break, 40-26.
 
Things didn't look much better early in the second half as Fordham went down by 15, 48-33, with 13:58 remaining when a Patrick Kelly layup at 12:06 started a 7-0 spurt as the home Rams made it an eight-point game, 48-40, on a Rose three with 9:24 left.
 
After a pair of free throws bumped the VCU lead back to ten, 50-40, Fordham ran off seven unanswered points to pull within three, 50-47, following a Zach Riley driving layup at the 6:58 mark.
 
But a 13-6 VCU run put the visitors up ten, 63-53, with just over a minute remaining and the closest Fordham would get from that point was five, first at 64-59 on a pair of Colon-Navarro free throws with 34 seconds left and then the final score.
 
Takeaways
• With his 9-for-9 night at the charity stripe, Josh Colon Navarro is now shooting .938 (30-32) on the year.
 
• Fordham leading scorer Darius Quisenberry missed his second straight game with an injury.
 
• Fordham outscored VCU, 21-10, from the free throw line.
 
• Fordham outrebounded VCU, 35-24.
 
• The game was the first of three straight home games for Fordham.
 
• The Rams held VCU guard Adrian Baldwin, Jr., who entered the game averaging 11.1 ppg, to just four points.
 
• Former Rams Bevon Robin and Branden Frazier attended the game.
 
• Seven NBA scouts also attended the game.
 
By the Numbers
2 – Second half turnovers for Fordham (after committing 15 in the first).
 
9 – Steals for Fordham.
 
19 – Career double-doubles for Chuba Ohams.
 
20 – Points by Josh Colon-Navarro, a career-high (previous high was 17 which he did four times).
 
103 – Career blocks for Chuba Ohams, tenth all-time at Fordham.
 
646 – Career rebounds for Chuba Ohams, moving him into 15th on the Fordham career rebounding list.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams return to action and continue Atlantic 10 play on Sunday, February 20, as they host the George Mason University Patriots in the historic Rose Hill Gym at 2:30 p.m.
 
• It will be the 13th meeting between Fordham and George Mason on the hardwood.
 
• The Rams lead the all-time series, 7-5, taking the first six meetings.
 
• The Patriots have won the past three matchups, including a 77-45 win in the Eagle Bank Arena last February 10 as Jordan Miller scored 16 points and Javon Greene added 14 for the Patriots.