Men’s Basketball Comes Up Short vs. CCSU

Bronx, N.Y. – On August 25, 2023, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming December 21, 2023, as "World Basketball Day." It was on that date in 1891 that basketball was played for the first time at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, after Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian physical education instructor, developed the game to keep his students active during the winter months. Though they were not competing, over 2,000 local school students were active today in the historic venue as the Rams hosted their annual Field Trip Day. Unfortunately Fordham couldn't pull off an early Festivus miracle, falling to the Blue Devils, 82-80.
 
With the loss, the Rams fall to 5-7 on the season while Central Connecticut improves to 5-7.
 
Senior guard Japhet Medor led all scorers for Fordham, netting a season-high 23 points and dishing out four assists, while sophomore guard Will Richardson added 16 points, four rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Senior forward Abdou Tsimbila and senior guard Kyle Rose each scored 12 points for the Rams with Tsimbila adding nine rebounds and two blocks and Rose three steals.
 
The Rams trailed by six, 82-76, with 16 seconds left when a Medor three cut the Fordham deficit to three, 82-79, seven seconds later.
 
Fordham fouled CCSU's Tre Breland with seven seconds on the clock and Breland missed both free throws. Medor grabbed the rebound of the second miss and dove down the right side, getting fouled before he could get off a three-point attempt with 3.3 seconds left. Medor hit the first free throw before intentionally missing the second but the Blue Devils corralled the rebound as the clock hit zero.
 
Takeaways
• The Rams played without the services of leading scorer Joshua Rivera, who was sidelined with an injury.
 
• The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Rams over the Blue Devils.
 
• Medor was averaging 6.3 ppg in the previous four games before exploding for his season-high today.
 
• Tsimbila has blocked at least one shot in ten of his eleven games this year.
 
• The Rams hit eleven three-pointers in the game, tying a season-high.
 
• Fordham is shooting 83.7% (36-43) from the free throw line over the past two games.
 
• The Rams were outscored 24-13 from the free throw stripe.
 
By the Numbers
4 – Steals by Will Richardson, a career-high.
 
10 – Lead changes in the game.
 
11 – Steals for Fordham, the Rams' fourth double digit steal game of the year.
 
13 – Ties in the game.
 
15 – Offensive rebounds for the Rams which was turned into 16 points.
 
15 – Romad Dean's +/- in the game.
 
120 – Career games played by Kyle Rose, tied for seventh all-time at Fordham and six away from Fred Herzog's (1987-92) school record of 126.
 
122 – Career blocks for Abdou Tsimbila, who had two today, moving him into a tie with Kervin Bristol (2010-12) for sixth on the Fordham career list.
 
173 – Career steals for Kyle Rose, who had three today, moving him into a tie for eighth all-time at Fordham with Bevon Robin (1997-2001).
 
What's Next?
• The Rams continue the 2023-24 season by hosting the Columbia University Lions as part of the Tom Konchalski Classic in the historic Rose Hill Gym on Saturday, December 30 at 1:00 p.m.
 
• It will be the 61st meeting between Fordham and Columbia on the hardwood.
 
• The Rams lead the all-time series, 53-27, and have taken five of the past six meetings.
 
• Fordham took the most recent matchup, 77-67, on November 9, 2021, as Darius Quisenberry netted a game-high 25 points while Chuba Ohams chipped in with 13 points and 15 rebounds.
 
• Fordham is 134-81 all-time against Ivy League teams.