Connect with us

Basketball

Fordham prevails over Davidson in Opening Round of Atlantic-10 Championship

Kyle Rose and Japhet Medor following Fordham's A-10 Conference Championship opening round win over Davidson on Tuesday, March 12th at the Barclays Center - Image Credit: Fordham Men's Basketball

BROOKLYN, NY — No. Sleep. Till… Brooklyn. 

Right in front of their eyes on Tuesday afternoon at the Barclays Center, the Fordham Rams saw their season coming to an unfortunate end — trailing the Davidson Wildcats, 52-46, with five minutes remaining in their Atlantic-10 Men’s Basketball Championship opening round matchup. 

But, just like any Ram would do in the given situation — the Rose Hill herd, led by second-year head coach Keith Urgo, winded back with every last bit of energy, to swing the momentum, and while being just seconds away from seeing their fate, tied the game at 61 — thanks to a clutch-make from Fordham’s all-time leader in career-games played, senior guard Kyle Rose, which led to overtime…

Kyle Rose’s game-tying shot with less than three seconds to go in regulation against Davidson on Tuesday, March 12th at the Barclays Center – Image Credit: Fordham Men’s Basketball

And just like any Ram does once gaining any bit of momentum, Fordham put an ‘all-out stampede’ on Davidson, scoring 10 points in OT compared to the Wildcats’ two — resulting in the end-all-be-all, as the Rams prevailed 71-63 — marking the program’s third-straight season with an A-10 Championship game victory.

“When you get into the tournament it’s great to win one, but that’s not our goal,” said coach Urgo following the win. “That might’ve been Fordham’s goal a couple years ago, or three years ago, when we first got here. That’s not our goal.”

“Our goal is to be playing on Sunday if we can get there. So, the mindset has changed from top-down, from the entire institution. They don’t just want one win, neither do we.” 

On the Brooklyn hardwood, Will Richardson paved the way for the Rams, scoring a season high of 20 points, with 17 coming in the second half and overtime (6-14 from the field, 3-8 from 3-PT, 5-6 from the free throw line). 

Will Richardson had one made field goal in the first half, and five in the second/OT. Overall, Fordham scored 52 points in the second half and overtime combined after only scoring 19 first half points – Image Credit: Fordham Men’s Basketball

“The basket just opened up,” said the sophomore guard on the second half resurgence. “Coach gives us the confidence to go out there and kinda gives us free reign. ‘If you’re open, take your shot,’ and that’s what we do… 

We have confidence in each other, the coaches have confidence in us. It’s really just about getting stops, and then, how the basketball gods work — the more stops you get, the basket just starts opening up.” 

Richardson was also responsible for three rebounds, three steals, and an assist. His senior teammate Abdou Tsimbila, a 6-9 forward, recorded a game-high of 10 boards, and tacked on nine points with a pair of blocks. 

Joshua Rivera shinin’ under the Bright Lights 

Something about the bright lights gets the most out of Rams sophomore forward Joshua Rivera. The 6-6 New Jersey native, of Puerto Rican heritage, scored 14 points in Tuesday’s A-10 Championship opening round win over Davidson at the Barclays Center — one shy from tying his season-high, which was recorded on December 16th, 2023, in a loss to St. John’s at Madison Square Garden. 

Tuesday’s win marked Joshua Rivera’s 11th game of the season in double scoring figures – Image Credit: Fordham Men’s Basketball

When asked about Rivera’s rise in performance throughout those two contests, Urgo stated: “I’m not quite sure, I don’t just want him to play well in the big arenas… 

He then added: “The game is starting to pause for him (Rivera) a little bit, and look, he’s only a sophomore, so he’s just going to continue to get better, and better. And the more he buys into what we are trying to do here and how we play, the sky’s the limit for him.”

What’s Next? 

Fordham (13-19 overall) will face No. 5 seeded VCU (19-12 overall) tomorrow afternoon, March 13th in the second round of the Atlantic-10 Men’s Basketball Conference Championship – tip-off scheduled for 2:00PM ET, television coverage on USA Network. 

Remaining A-10 Men’s Basketball Championship Games for Wednesday, March 13th

No. 8 George Mason vs. No 9. Saint Joseph’s – tip-off set for 11:30AM ET, watch on USA Network 

No. 10 La Salle vs. No. 7 St. Bonaventure – tip-off set for 5:00PM ET, watch on USA Network

No. 6 Duquesne vs. No. 14 Saint Louis – tip-off set for 7:30PM ET, watch on USA Network

Robert Rizzo is a journalist and editor of Latino Sports – Email: RobertRiz994@gmail.com

Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content

Instagram: @latinosportsoficial

Facebook: Latino Sports

Twitter: @latinosports

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Facebook

Latest Article

More in Basketball