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BRONX, N.Y. (Jan. 21, 2025) – Following a week-long layoff, The Fordham men's basketball team will return to action on Wednesday night when it heads to Loyola Chicago.
Tip-off from Gentile Arena is slated for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+ with Jordan Bernfield and Nick DiNardi on the call. Nick Guzman and Chaz McAdams will narrate the action on 90.7 FM WFUV and the
WFUV Sports YouTube page.
The Rams (8-10, 0-5 A-10) needed the extra rest after playing the longest and highest-scoring game in the 100-year history of the Rose Hill Gym this past Wednesday, as Massachusetts outlasted Fordham, 120-118, in triple overtime. It marked the first-ever triple-overtime game in the building—Fordham has twice reached triple overtime on the road—and the game's 238 combined points shattered the gym's previous record of 207 set during a 114-93 loss to Boston College on Feb. 4, 1978. Fordham attempted 65 free throws, shattering the previous program record of 46 set against Lehigh on Feb. 13, 1993. By the final whistle, five Fordham players had fouled out of the game. The two teams combined for 79 infractions, the highest total in a Division I game since 2017, while their 122 combined free throw attempts were the most in a Division I contest since 1996-97.
Despite scoring only four points in the opening half,
Jackie Johnson III finished with a career-high 36 points against the Minutemen, going 11-for-24 from the field after intermission. The Atlantic 10's third-leading scorer at 18.9 points per game, Johnson became the first Fordham player to reach that total since Darius Quisenberry poured in 36 against Davidson on Jan. 22, 2022. The last Fordham player to score more than 36 points in a game was Jason Harris, who posted 39 points in a 110-73 win over Quinnipiac on Dec. 21, 1999. Prior to Wednesday, that 110-point outburst marked the Rams' highest team scoring total in the Rose Hill Gym.
In total, four Rams finished the evening in double figures, including a season-high 25 points from
Japhet Medor. Medor converted on 14 of his 16 free throw attempts, the latter of which was the highest single-game total by a Ram since Chris Gaston attempted 17 on Feb. 6, 2010, against Charlotte. Medor also dished out a game-high five assists and surrendered just two turnovers in 42 minutes of action.
Joshua Rivera matched a season-high with 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds while
Matt Zona narrowly missed his first collegiate double-double with 12 points and nine boards.
Tray Woodall will serve the
first of four games as the Rams' interim head coach beginning on Wednesday.
Loyola Chicago (11-7, 2-3 A-10) gets set to welcome the Rams on the heels of a heartbreaking 83-81 overtime loss at Dayton on Saturday afternoon that saw the Flyers go the length of the floor with 3.7 seconds remaining for the winning bucket. The Ramblers trailed by as many as 13 in the second half before clawing back to force the extra frame.
Jayden Dawson and Sheldon Edwards Jr. led the way for Loyola Chicago with 19 points apiece while Des Watson added 18. Edwards and Watson combined to go 9-of-18 from beyond the arc.
Watson (12.6 ppg), Dawson (12.5 ppg) and Edwards (12.4 ppg) are the Ramblers' leading scorers this season.
Fordham and Loyola Chicago will meet for the fifth time in the history of the two programs and the third as A-10 foes. The Rams won the inaugural conference contest, 71-69, in Chicago on Feb. 22, 2023, before the Ramblers took one back in the Bronx, 65-61, on Jan. 20 of last year. The last time the teams faced off in the Windy City, Quisenberry scored 26 points and Khalid Moore added 19 as the Rams improved to 10-5 in league play.
The Rams will return home on Sunday, Jan. 26, to host Duquesne for a 12 p.m. contest on USA Network. The game will serve as the program's annual "Whiteout," with all fans in attendance receiving a complimentary white Fordham Basketball t-shirt.
