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BRONX, N.Y. (Dec. 14, 2024) – Fresh off an unblemished three-game homestand, the Fordham men's basketball team will hit the road for the last time in non-conference play when it travels to Uncasville, Conn., for a contest against Bryant at Mohegan Sun Arena as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase.
The Rams and Bulldogs will tip off at 2:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network and the WFUV Sports YouTube page. The Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase will also feature a game between St. Bonaventure and Providence tipping off at approximately 5 p.m.
After dropping three straight games to end November, Fordham (6-5) has enjoyed a stellar December so far, winning all three of its contests by an average margin of 15.3 points.
Jackie Johnson III has continued to impress in his debut season with the Rams. The UNLV transfer has been the Rams' high scorer in nine of the team's 10 games against Division I foes, including a 16-point, six-assist effort in Fordham's 87-72 win over Maine last Sunday. Johnson, who has eclipsed the 20-point mark four times this season, ranks fifth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring at 18.1 points per game.
Johnson is one of two Rams averaging double figures on the season alongside sophomore
Jahmere Tripp. After missing the first four games of the campaign with injury, Tripp is averaging 12.0 points and 2.7 assists per outing. On Dec. 4 against FDU, the Brooklyn native tallied his first collegiate double-double, registering 20 points and 10 assists. Tripp has been the Rams' most accurate threat from deep, converting on eight of his 17 tries from three-point range (47.1%).
Junior forward
Romad Dean has also been enjoying a breakout season in the Bronx. Dean has matched or set a career high for scoring in each of his last two outings, posting 13 points and nine boards against FDU before finishing with 16 points against Maine. On Sunday against the Black Bears, Dean knocked down all three of his tries from distance and went a perfect 5-for-5 from the line.
Saturday will mark the Rams' first-ever game at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Bryant enters the weekend with a record of 6-6 after falling to St. John's, 99-77, on Wednesday night in Queens. The Red Storm is one of two common opponents this season between Fordham and Bryant, as the Bulldogs defeated Drexel, 78-73, on Dec. 2.
Bryant boasts four players averaging double figures on the season led by Rafael Pinzon at 18.5 points per game. The St. John's transfer has been lethal from beyond the arc, converting on 31 of his 61 three-point attempts (50.8%). He has scored 20 or more points five times, including 33 points against Siena and 31 against Drexel.
Memphis transfer Earl Timberlake is Bryant's second-leading scorer at 15.2 points per game and leads the Bulldogs with 7.7 boards per outing.
Saturday will mark the second-ever meeting between Fordham and Bryant. Bryant defeated the Rams, 69-61, at the Rose Hill Gym on Dec. 10, 2019.
Phil Martelli Jr. is in his second season as Bryant's head coach. The Martelli family is quite familiar with Fordham this season. Martelli's father, the longtime coach at Saint Joseph's, was the color commentator for the Rams' win over Seton Hall on FS2. Martelli's brother, Jimmy, is an assistant coach at Penn State, who the Rams played in Daytona Beach.
