Men’s Basketball Grounded by Flyers

Dayton, Ohio - Edwin Moses, an Olympic gold medalist in the hurdles and noted vegetarian, was born in Dayton, Ohio. Between 1977 and 1987, Moses won 107 consecutive finals (122 consecutive races) and set the world record in the event four times. At times today, it seemed like the Fordham University and University of Dayton men's basketball student-athletes were running the hurdles, sprinting and jumping from one end of the UD Area to the other. But in the end the nationally ranked Flyers jumped a bit higher to pull out a 78-70 Atlantic 10 win over the Rams.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 10-15 overall, 4-8 in the Atlantic 10, while #16/18 Dayton improves to 21-4 overall, 11-2 in the conference.
 
The Rams were led by senior guards Japhet Medor and Kyle Rose, who each netted 17 points with Rose adding six rebounds and three steals. Senior guard Antrell Charlton also finished in double figures for Fordham with ten points.
 
Fordham trailed by nine at the half, 44-35, but opened the second half outscoring Dayton 12-4 over the first four minutes to pull within one, 48-47, on a Rose jumper 2:48 into the half. Medor accounted for ten of the 12 Fordham points in the run, including a pair of threes, the second becoming a four-point play.
 
The Flyers managed to get the lead to three, 52-49, before a Will Richardson three knotted the game at 52 with 14:05 left.
 
Da'Ron Holmes, who scored a game-high 29 points, connected on a fade away jumper as shot clock expired with 5:51 left to break a 66-66 tie and put the Flyers ahead for good.
 
Fordham managed to get the lead down to one, 69-68, on a Medor driving layup with 3:42 remaining but that was as close as the Rams could get.
 
The game started out with the two teams trading baskets over the first nine minutes with neither team holding more than a three-point lead. Fordham's Japhet Medor tied the game at 21 with a pair of free throws with 10:50 left in the period when the Flyers scored four straight to take a 25-21 lead.
 
A Rose three made it a one-point game, 25-24, with 9:22 on the clock but ten consecutive Dayton points gave the Flyers a 35-25 lead four minutes later.
 
A Jahmere Tripp second chance layup stopped the Dayton run with 3:05 remaining and the Rams managed to trim the Flyers' lead down to five, 32-27, on two Tripp free throws at the 2:10 mark before Dayton bumped the lead to nine, 44-35, at the break.
 
Takeaways
• Abdou Tsimbila, who had one block today, has blocked at least one shot in 22 of his 24 games this year.
 
• Fordham entered the game leading the Atlantic 10 in steals (8.71/game) but recorded just three today, all by Kyle Rose.
 
• The Rams were 13-for-15 from the charity stripe.
 
• Dayton's Da'Ron Holmes entered the game leading the Atlantic 10 in scoring (19.6 ppg).
 
• Dayton's Kobe Brea entered the game leading the A-10 in three-point field goal percentage (.489) but was 2-for-5 today.
 
• Dayton entered the game leasing the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage (.472) and three-point field goal percentage (.392).
 
• The Flyers' roster features two New York City natives, Malachi Smith (Bronx) and Koby Brea (Washington Heights). Smith was injured in the first game of the year and will miss the rest of the season.
 
• The game was sold out before the season started. It's the third straight year that Dayton sold out all its home games before the season started.
 
• Chris Walker, who served as the analyst for the CBS Sports Network broadcast for the game, served on the Villanova staff with Fordham head coach Keith Urgo from 2009-2001.
 
By the Numbers
6 - Rebounds by Jahmere Tripp, tying his career-high.
 
11 – Offensive rebounds by Fordham, the 20th game this season the Rams have double figures in offensive rebounds.
 
16 – Second chance points off the eleven offensive rebounds for Fordham.
 
70 – Points scored by the Rams, the most for an Atlantic 10 opponent this year at the UD Arena.
 
133 – Career games played for Kyle Rose, a Fordham record.
 
150 – Career blocks for Abdou Tsimbila, sixth all-time for the Rams.
 
204 – Career steals by Kyle Rose, sixth on the Fordham all-time list.
 
13,407 - Today's attendance, the largest crowd for a Fordham game this year.
 
What's Next?
• The Rams continue the 2024 Atlantic 10 season by traveling to Davidson, N.C., to take on the Davidson College Wildcats in Belk Arena on Tuesday, February 20, at 7:00 p.m.
 
• It will be the 19th meeting between Fordham and Davidson on the hardwood.
 
• The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 15-3.
 
• Davidson took this year's first meeting, 79-69, in the Rose Hill Gym on January 17 behind 24 points from both Grant Huffman and Reed Bailey.
 
• The two teams split a pair of games last year with Davidson winning, 57-43, on December 28 in the Rose Hill Gym behind 13 points and eleven rebounds from Sam Menninga, and Fordham winning, 73-71, on February 11 at Davidson behind 22 points and nine rebounds from Khalid Moore.