Gallery: (12-10-2023) Men's Basketball vs. North Texas
Brooklyn, N.Y. – The Jonas Brothers played at the Barclays Center on Saturday night, opening the show with their song "Celebrate". On Sunday, the Fordham men's basketball team closed the game with a celebration as
Abdou Tsimbila's dunk at the buzzer prompted the Rams to celebrate a 60-59 win over the University of North Texas in the first game of the 2023 NABC Brooklyn Showcase.
With the win, the Rams even their record at 5-5 on the year while North Texas falls to 5-4.
Senior guard
Antrell Charlton led the balanced Fordham offense with ten points, and he added four rebounds and four assists, while Tsimbila was one of four Rams to net eight points, and he grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots. Sophomore forward
Joshua Rivera, sophomore guard
Will Richardson, and senior guard
Japhet Medor also finished with eight points for the Rams.
The Rams won the game with a strong second half defense as Fordham got back to its roots, holding the Mean Green to shooting 9-for-30 (30.0%) from the field over the final 20 minutes with no three pointers.
On the final play, the Rams inbounded the ball on the sideline with ten seconds left. Medor dove to the far baseline and managed to squeeze a pass to Tsimbila who put it through the hoop just as the horn sounded. The play was reviewed by the officials and, after a few minutes, ruled the basket good.
The Rams trailed by 12 at the half, 35-23, but scored the first ten points of the second half to make it a two-point game, 35-33, on a Tsimbila hook shot off an offensive rebound 3:18 into the period.
Fordham managed to take the lead for the first time in the game at 38-37 on a
Jahmere Tripp bucket in the lane and neither team would lead by more than four points the rest of the way.
The Rams went up by one, 54-53, following a Medor three-point play with 3:44 remaining and led by one again at the 1:58 mark on a pair of Medor free throws. However, the Mean Green took advantage of a Fordham miscue with just over a minute left to take a 59-58 lead.
Another Fordham turnover gave North Texas the ball back with 42 seconds left but the Mean Green turned it back over to the Rams 28 seconds later.
Takeaways
•
Abdou Tsimbila entered the game second in the Atlantic 10 in blocked shots (21) and swatted three today.
• He has blocked at least one shot in eight of his nine games this year.
• The Rams entered the game averaging 82.8 ppg over the previous four games.
• The game was about as even as it could be as each team shot 23-60 from the field, each grabbed 40 rebounds, and each recorded 13 turnovers.
• After only eight fouls were called in the first half 20 were whistled in the second.
• North Texas was 5-for-10 from behind the arc in the first half but 0-for-3 in the second.
• The Mean Green entered the game averaging 8.3 three-pointers made/game.
• Fordham is 3-2 in its last five games at Barclays Center.
By the Numbers
4 – Assists by Jahmere Trip, a season-high.
6 – Rebounds by
Ogheneyole Akuwovo, a season-high.
6 – Rebounds by
Jahmere Tripp, a season-high.
8 – Points scored by
Ogheneyole Akuwovo, who was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field, a season-high.
9 – Different players to score for the Rams today.
14 – Offensive rebounds by Fordham which the Rams turned into 18 points.
118 – Career games for
Kyle Rose, tied for ninth all-time at Fordham.
118 – Career blocks by
Abdou Tsimbila, eighth all-time for the Rams.
162 – Career steals by
Kyle Rose, who had two today, tenth all-time for the Rams.
1,583 – All-time wins for Fordham.
What's Next?
• After a week off for finals, the Rams continue the 2023-24 season by traveling into Manhattan to face the St. John's University Red Storm at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, December 16 at 3:30 p.m.
• It will be the 90th meeting between Fordham and St. John's on the hardwood.
• The Red Storm lead the all-time series, 67-22, and took the most recent meeting, 83-69, in Carnesecca
Arena on December 5, 2021.
• The 89 games played against St. John's are the second most for the Rams against any opponent
(Fordham and Manhattan have met 115 times).
• The last Fordham win was on December 2, 2015, 73-57, in the Rose Hill Gym as Ryan Rhoomes scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Mandell Thomas added 14 points.
