After a 2-1 performance in the Northern Classic over Thanksgiving Break, the Fordham Rams returned to Rose Hill Gym on Saturday to take on the Holy Cross Crusaders. Despite a strong start offensively for the Rams, defensive lapses and a 1-6 performance in the final 5 minutes saw Fordham lose control of a 12-point lead en route to a 70-69 loss. As Holy Cross made their comeback, several mistakes that have plagued the Rams this season reared their ugly head.
“That was a game that [was] there for us to win,” Coach Magpayo said postgame. “I just thought that we took our foot off the gas and didn’t stay aggressive, [didn’t] have that mindset all the way through, and put them on the foul line.”
As the game opened, Fordham immediately established a strong defensive presence within the arc. Holy Cross did not score a bucket in 2-point range until the 13:55 mark of the first half on a floater from Chuck Hare. Rikus Schulte led the way in that defensive effort, frequently poking away inside passes to force Holy Cross turnovers. Schulte would finish the game with 5 steals out of Fordham’s 8 total, but Fordham’s inability to capitalize on takeaways was an immediate problem that kept this game close. In total, Fordham scored just 10 points on 21 Holy Cross turnovers, their worst performance in that area this season (0.47 points per turnover).
Offensively, Fordham did a great job keeping pace with an early three-point barrage from the Crusaders, outshooting Holy Cross 54% to 43% from deep by halftime. Marcus Greene showed a hot hand early, going 3-4 from deep in the half for 9 points and giving Fordham their first double-digit lead with a big bucket. After sprinting to the left corner and catching a Dey-Dey Reaves kick-out, Greene set his feet, jabbed once on Tyler Boston, and pulled up to put the Rams up 33-23 with 1:40 left to play in the half.
Fordham entered the break up 37-28. As the second half opened, two jumpers from Reaves and a three-pointer from Christian Henry put the Rams up 44-30. Henry, Schulte, and Reaves would all score in double-digit territory, with 18, 16, and 12 points, respectively. Fordham’s lead would float around the 10-point mark until Boston hit a left-wing three just before the under-8. With a 58-49 lead coming out of the timeout, several defensive cracks from previous games re-opened for the Rams.
Last week, Coach Magpayo described how Fordham lost their edge late against Franklin Pierce, escaping with just a 2-point win over the Ravens. At the under-4 timeout against Holy Cross, Fordham led 67-55. As the Crusaders tied the game at 68 with 47 seconds left to play, Fordham’s defensive lapses felt all too familiar.
“I thought there [were] a couple guys that let go of the rope a little bit, lost the edge a little bit, and it bit us in the butt,” Magpayo said. “It’s exactly what happened in game one in Montreal. That was the message [to not let go of the rope], and we’ve got to learn from it now and grow from it now.”
A huge part of Holy Cross’ second-half push came at the line. After going just 2-5 from the line in the first half, the Crusaders made 15 of 19 FTs in the second.
With 14 seconds left in the game, Rikus Schulte hit one of two shots at the line to put Fordham up 69-68. On the ensuing Holy Cross possession, Boston drove in from the arc before kicking out to Gabe Warren at the top of the key. Warren’s three-pointer clanked off the rim and bounced left, but Joe Nugent caught the rebound and drew a foul on a putback jumper attempt with 2.7 seconds remaining. Nugent hit both free throws to put the Crusaders up 70-69. Fordham rushed up the court for a last-second shot, but a deep three from Reaves missed wide right off the backboard, clinching the Crusaders victory.
“The bottom line is we are not talented enough to not be locked in every single possession,” Magpayo said. “We have to be locked in on preparation, and the way we go about things [when prepared] is why we have success.”
Fordham returns to action at home on Wednesday against FDU.