La Salle Falls to Fordham 88 – 72 at Home
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 1/29/2025 –
The La Salle Explorers came into the game with a chance to even their Atlantic 10 record. Fordham had other ideas. The Rams made over half of their shots in beating the Explorers at the John E. Glaser Arena 88 – 72. Home losses are tough, the visitor has to play well to get the victory.
“This is our second one,” said La Salle Coach Fran Dunphy. “Every team in our league is very, very good. You could see it coming with Fordham. You could see the confidence building with them and it looked it today. They had a confident surge at different parts of the game that I think carried them.”
Tough Start for La Salle
Fordham started the game as the confident team getting an early lead. A 20 – 7 run gave the Rams a 34 – 17 lead with just over seven and a half minutes remaining in the first half in taking a 46 – 32 lead into halftime. The Explorers allowed the second most points of the first half this season. They gave up two more points to UIC.
La Salle was forced to play from behind. The Explorers have shown comeback ability, but not this time.
“We were so far down, we worked hard to get back,” said Dunphy. “We got it to seven, a couple of times with the ball. We weren’t able to regain the momentum.”
The Explorers Could Not Sustain Their Charge
The had a run at the start of the second half to get to within seven points three times, but could not sustain their run. Fordham kept making shots, La Salle could not make theirs, losing the opportunity to get close. The Explorers could not get consistent stops and baskets.
“I thought we made a nice run in the first part of the second half, and we made a couple foolish mistakes that could have kept our momentum and we gave momentum back to them,” Dunphy said.
What the Numbers Say
Fordham made 32 of 61 field goal attempts (52.5%) and would drain 12 of 26 from beyond the arc. The Rams had 6 players score in double figures with Romad Dean leading the team with 15 points, one shy of his collegiate-best, while adding 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Josh Rivera pulled down a game-best 10 rebounds, a season-best, while adding 11 points. Japhet Medor scored 10 points while dishing out 5 assists while grabbing a career-high tying 8 boards. Matt Zona scored 13 points sinking all 3 of his shots from distance matching a career-high. The Rams had 22 assists on 32 field goals, and made 12 of 17 free throws.
The Explorers made only 19 of 30 from the foul line.
Duece Jones led La Salle with 24 points matching his uniform number and setting a career-high. Jahlil White scored 14 points and had 9 rebounds. Daeshon Shepherd and Corey McKeithan added 13 points each.
Up Next
Fordham (10 – 11, 2- 6) travels to St. Bonaventure for a Saturday game.
La Salle (11 – 10, 3 – 5) finalizes its three game home stand hosting George Washington.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@phillycollegesports.com
Be the first to comment