Dayton, Ohio – Tonight, millions of people will gather along Brazil's beaches to celebrate the new year, and most of them will be color-coordinated. There, it's a tradition to wear white, a color that symbolizes good luck and peace. Today it was the University of Dayton men's basketball team wearing the white and it brought them good fortune as despite a hard-fought game from Fordham, the Rams came up short, falling to the Flyers, 63-56, in the UD Arena.
With the loss, Fordham drops to 9-5 overall, 0-1 in the Atlantic 10, while Dayton improves to 10-4 overall, 1-0 in the A-10.
The Rams were led by grad student guard
Dejour Reaves, who scored s game-high 18 points and he dished out six assists, while junior forward
Akira Jacobs added 12 points, hitting four three-pointers. Junior forward
Rikus Schulte led all rebounders in the game with 14, matching his career-high.
How it Happened
• After falling behind 19-11, Fordham went on a 7-0 run with 8:12 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from
Dejour Reaves, to narrow its deficit to 19-18.
• Dayton answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Rams down 30-24 entering halftime.
• The Flyers added to their lead after intermission, going up by 13, 41-28, with 14:30 remaining before Fordham went on a 9-0 run, finished off by
Dejour Reaves' jumper, to shrink the deficit to 41-37 with 12:40 to go in the contest.
• Later in the half Fordham used a 5-0 spurt to cut a seven-point deficit to two, 47-45, with 8:09 left. All five points came from
Marcus Greene.
• The Rams trailed by three, 50-47, two minutes later but a 10-4 Dayton run helped the Flyers take a 60-51 lead with just under a minute left.
Notes
•
Rikus Schulte is averaging 12.3 ppg and points 10.7 rpg over the last ten games
•
Rikus Schulte had a streak of four straight double-doubles snapped today.
• Grad student guard
Dejour Reaves has scored in double figures in all 13 games he has appeared in.
• Grad student guard
Louis Lesmond returned to action after missing four games due to injury.
• Fordham was without the services of senior guard
Christian Henry, sophomore guard
Ryan Pettis, redshirt freshman forward
Abass Bodija, and sophomore guard Aiden Crotty due to injury.
• The Rams dressed only eight scholarship players and were down to seven in the second half after freshman forward
Roor Akhuar was injured in the first half.
• The Rams were outscored at the free throw line, 13-5.
• Fordham entered the game leading the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense (61.3).
• The Rams outrebounded the Flyers, 41-33.
• Dayton entered the game leading the A-10 in turnover margin at +5.0 and were a +7 today.
• The game featured two schools with over 700 wins on their home courts (Fordham has 721 at the Rose Hill Gym while Dayton now has 720 at the UD Arena).
By the Numbers
4 – Three-pointers made by
Akira Jacobs, a career-high.
6 – Assists by
Dejour Reaves, tying his career-high.
9 - Different starting lineups used this year by the Rams.
11 – Games this year Fordham has recorded double figures in offensive rebounds.
12 – Rebounds for sophomore center
Jack Whitbourn.
14 – Rebounds by
Rikus Schulte, matching his career-best set earlier this year against FDU.
16 – Offensive rebounds for the Rams.
86 – Consecutive sellouts by Dayton at the UD Arena.
What's Next?
• The Rams continue Atlantic 10 play by hosting the University of Richmond Spiders on Sunday, January 4, at 12:00 p.m. in the historic Rose Hill Gym.
• It will be the 35th meeting between Fordham and Richmond on the hardwood.
• The Spiders lead the all-time series, which started in 1985, 26-8, and have won the past seven match-ups, including a 70-66 win in Richmond last year on February 15 as Dusan Neskovic scored 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Spiders while
Japhet Medor led all scorers with 24 points for the Rams.
• The last Ram win was in 2018-2019, 69-65, in overtime in the Rose Hill Gym on January 3 behind 26 points and 12 rebounds from Joseph Chartouny and 12 points from Ivan Raut.
