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BRONX, N.Y. (Jan. 7, 2025) – The Fordham men's basketball team will hit the road this week for the first time in conference play, beginning a two-game swing on Wednesday night at VCU. 
 
Tip-off from Richmond is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+, 90.7 FM WFUV and the WFUV Sports YouTube page.
 
Fordham (8-7, 0-2 A-10) will look to pick up its first Atlantic 10 win in one of the conference's most hostile environments when it heads to the Siegel Center.  The Bronx Rams are coming off a pair of home losses to begin league play, falling to Saint Louis on New Year's Eve before coming out on the wrong end of a decision against red-hot St. Bonaventure this past Saturday.
 
In that most recent outing against the Bonnies, Jackie Johnson III scored a team-high 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including a 5-of-11 effort from beyond the arc.  It marked Johnson's sixth 20-point performance of the season and his 15^th double-figure output in just 15 opportunities as a Ram.  Johnson is the first Fordham player to reach double figures in 15 straight games since Chris Gaston accomplished the feat in 22 consecutive outings spanning the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons.  The last Ram to begin a season with 15 straight double-figure performances was Jermaine Anderson in 2005-06. 
 
Johnson's 18.4 points per game this season lead the Atlantic 10 and rank 51^st nationally overall.  The senior guard from Wichita, Kan., is averaging more points through the first 15 games of the season than any Ram since Branden Frazier averaged 18.9 points per outing to begin the 2013-14 campaign.
 
Japhet Medor proved efficient against the Bonnies, finishing with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 effort from the charity stripe.  He also dished out five assists and grabbed four rebounds.
 
Romad Dean reached double figures for the sixth time this season, connecting on five of his eight field goal tries to finish with 13 points.  The junior forward also pulled down a team-high six boards.  On the season, Dean is the Rams' leading rebounder at 5.5 caroms per outing.
 
VCU (11-4, 1-1 A-10) welcomes Fordham on the heels of an 84-65 win over Loyola Chicago on Saturday afternoon in the Windy City.  VCU trailed by three at the break before outscoring the Ramblers, 47-25, over the final 20 minutes. 
 
Graduate student Phillip Russell scored 25 points on 7-of-11 shooting, connecting on five of his eight attempts from beyond the arc.  Three other Rams (Christian Fermin-14, Jack Clark-12, Zeb Jackson-11) finished in double figures against the Ramblers.
 
Neither of VCU's top-two scorers reached double figures in the team's last outing.  Joe Bamisile, a graduate student with previous stops at Virginia Tech, GW and Oklahoma, is averaging 16.1 points per game while Max Shulga, a First Team All-Atlantic 10 selection in 2023-24, is averaging 15.7 per contest.
 
Fordham will face off against VCU for the 16^th time on Wednesday night, a series history that favors VCU, 14-1.  The Bronx Rams are looking for their first-ever win in Richmond.
 
After facing off against VCU, the Rams will stay on the road, heading to Davidson for a Saturday showdown against the Wildcats.  Tip-off for that contest is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+.