Gallery: (11-6-2023) MBB vs. Wagner
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham men’s basketball team wanted to make sure that the large student turnout at tonight’s season opener didn’t leave after they received their free Chick-fil-a sandwich at halftime. And it was that boisterous home crowd that helped the Rams overcome a nine-point second half deficit and survive a Wagner basket at the regulation buzzer as Fordham defeated Wagner, 68-64, in overtime in the Rose Hill Gym.
Senior guard Japhet Medor, making his Fordham debut, led the Rams with 17 points, shooting 3-for-6 from behind the arc, and he dished out six assists, while sophomore center Elijah Gray, who shot 5-for-6 from the field, added a career-high 16 points and he added six rebounds. Sophomore Joshua Rivera, also making his first appearance as a Ram, finished with ten points and five boards.
The game was tied at 60 at the end of regulation and the Seahawks took an early 64-62 lead right after the overtime tip.
A pair of Gray free throws tied the game at 62 with 4:18 left and, a little over a minute later, Will Richardson hit one of two free throws to put the Rams up one, 63-62.
The offense went cold for both squads until Medor fond an open Gray under the basket and Gray dunked it to give the Rams a 65-62 lead with 1:37 left.
A Medor three with 42 seconds remaining gave Fordham it’s largest lead of the night, 68-62, before Wagner closed out the scoring with a pair of free throws with eleven seconds on the clock.
The Rams led by four, 60-56, with 31 seconds left in regulation but a Seahawk basket with 14 seconds left made it a two-point game.
After Antrell Charlton missed the front end of a one-and-one with nine seconds left, Rahmir Moore took the ball and drove to the basket. Goaltending was called on Fordham on Moore’s shot with 0.7 on the clock to force overtime.
Takeaways
• The Rams are 79-36 (.684) in season openers since 1908, 84-20 (.806) in home openers.
• The Rams have won five of the past six season openers.
• The Rams lead the all-time series with Wagner, 25-3.
• It was the first overtime game played between Fordham and Wagner.
• After shooting 34.5% (10-29) from the field in the first half, the Rams shot 53.8% (14-26) in the second half.
• Fordham’s Will Richardson and Wagner’s Julian Brown were high school teammates at Bergen Catholic High School.
• Fordham has won 19 of the last 21 games played in the Rose Hill Gym.
By the Numbers
7 – Blocks recorded by the Rams, led by three each from Abdou Tsimbila and Japhet Medor.
10 – Lead changes in the game.
19 – Points off turnovers scored by Fordham.
30 – Bench points for the Rams, led by 16 from Elijah Gray.
685 – All-time wins in the Rose Hill Gym for Fordham.
1,578 – All-time wins for the Rams.
What’s Next?
• The Rams continue the 2023-2024 season by hosting the Cornell University Big Red on Saturday, November 11, in the historic Rose Hill Gym at 1:00 p.m.
• It will be the ninth meeting between Fordham and Cornell on the hardwood.
• The all-time series, which started in 1942-43, is tied 4-4.
• It will be the first game between the two schools since January 19, 1980, an 81-41 Fordham win in the Rose Hill Gym.
• The Rams are 134-81 all-time versus the Ivy League.
• It is one of two games against an Ivy League school this year (Columbia).