Men’s Basketball Takes Down Bonaventure, 79-68

St. Bonaventure, N.Y. – The soundtrack for the past three Fordham men's basketball games could be easily be highlighted by Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" as the Rams took to the road for their third straight game. Despite travels issues that delayed their arrival to the hotel on Tuesday night, they lived by their motto of "Attitude", coming from behind for the third straight game to defeat St. Bonaventure University, 79-68, in an Atlantic 10 game in the Reilly Center.
 
With the win, Fordham improves to 16-4 overall, 4-3 in the Atlantic 10, while St. Bonaventure falls to 10-11 overall, 4-4 in the conference. The 16 wins matches last season's total for the Rams.
 
Fordham was led by grad student forward Khalid Moore's 19 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Moore sank six of his seven field goal tries while going 6-for-8 from the stripe. Grad student guard Darius Quisenberry added 17, 11 of which came at the free throw line, while freshman guard Will Richardson finished with 16 after going 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from deep.
 
St. Bonaventure led 37-36 4:25 into the second half when Fordham used an 18-8 run to take a 54-45 lead on an Elijah Gray dunk at the 7:50 mark.  The Bonnies moved back within six on the next possession before Moore uncorked a personal 11-2 run to put the game out of reach.
 
The Rams would get the lead to as many as 17, 67-50, on a pair of Rostyslav Novitskyi free throws with just over four minutes left, and Fordham secured the win by hitting 14 free throws the rest of the way.
 
The Bonnies jumped out to a 12-5 lead before the Rams netted five straight to knot the game at 12 on a Richardson basket with 9:03 left in the half.
 
St. Bonaventure then used a 14-8 run to take a 26-20 lead four minutes later before Fordham trimmed the advantage to two at the break, 30-28.
 
Takeaways
• Darius Quisenberry has scored in double digits in 17 of his 19 games this year.
 
• The 4-3 start to the A-10 season is also the first time the Rams are .500 or better through seven games in Atlantic 10 play since the 2006-07 season.
 
• The win marks the first time since 1995 that Fordham won three straight games, all on the road.

• The win snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Bonnies dating back to 2013-14.

• The Rams' last win over the Bonnies was in March of 2013, a 76-62 victory at St. Bonaventure.

• Fordham associate head coach Tray Woodall served as an assistant at St. Bonaventure from 2019-2021.
 
• St. Bonaventure leading scorer Daryl Banks III finished with 29 points, scoring 17 in the first half before being limited to 12 in the second, seven of those from the free throw stripe.
 
• No one on the 2022-23 St. Bonaventure roster appeared in the game with Fordham last season.
 
• The Bonnies lost for only the second time in eleven games at home this year.
 
• The Fordham coaching staff wore special Coaches vs. Cancer-Suits And Sneakers® pullovers for the game as part of Coaches vs. Cancer-Suits And Sneakers® Week (January 23-29, 2023). This nationwide event unites coaches across the country to raise funds and awareness about the fight against cancer and promotes the American Cancer Society as a source of inspiration and hope for those facing cancer. While coaching games during the week, coaches wear sneakers with their suits as a visible reminder of their support of the American Cancer Society.
 
By the Numbers
9 – Different payers to score for Fordham.
 
11 - Free throw attempts for Rostyslav Novitskyi, a career-high (previous high was seven vs. Wagner earlier this year).
 
13.5 - Will Richardson's scoring average last four games.
 
25 – Free throws made by Fordham, a season-high.
 
28 – Points in the paint for the Rams compared to 18 for the Bonnies.
 
28 – Fouls committed by St. Bonaventure, a season-high for a Fordham opponent.
 
1,947 – Career collegiate points for Darius Quisenberry.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams continue the 2022-2023 Atlantic 10 season by hosting the George Washington University Colonials in the historic Rose Hill Gym on Saturday, January 28, at 2:00 p.m.  The game is sold-out.
 
• It will be the 43rd meeting between Fordham and George Washington on the hardwood.
 
• The Colonials lead the all-time series, which started in the 1914-15 season, 31-11.
 
• The two teams split a pair of games last year with the Colonials taking the first meeting, 64-55, in Washington, D.C., on January 30 as James Bishop scored a game-high 25 points for the Colonials, while the Rams took the second, 70-66, on March 5, in the Rose Hill Gym behind 23 points and 16 rebounds from Chuba Ohams.