Too little, too late.
Eighth-seeded Fordham used a furious second-half rally to cut a 16-point first-half deficit to one with 8:40 remaining, but ninth-seeded Richmond refused to wilt.
The Spiders, led by 17 points apiece from T.J. Cline and ShawnDre’ Jones, ended the game and possibly the Rams’ season on a 24-10 run to grab a 70-55 victory in the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals Thursday at Barclays Center.
The Rams (17-13), who shot just 33 percent in the first half, orchestrated a 16-4 run to open the second to force a Spiders timeout. Fordham, which could not get the ball to Ryan Rhoomes over the first 20 minutes, made it a point of emphasis in the second.
“We made it more of an effort to get me the ball,” Rhoomes said. “A lot of it was also me getting offensive rebounds. Coach [Jeff] Neubauer wants me to get every offensive rebound I can. I just tried to do what I could to help my team win.”
The senior connected on 6-of-7 shots from the field to tally 14 of his 18 points in the second half. He also finishing with a team-high 14 rebounds for his eighth consecutive double-double.
Six of Rhoomes’ points came after back-to-back, put-back-and-1 baskets in a 36-second span, inciting a fist pump, roar and a sideline celebration from the Fordham bench as he helped cut the deficit to seven.
However, an adjustment from Richmond (16-15) halted the Rams’ momentum.
Richmond is not known for its press, but head coach Chris Mooney recognized a deficiency in the way Fordham handled pressure dribbling up the court. He called a switch to a 2-1-2 press with a focus on a half-court trap.
It helped the Spiders force the Rams into 14 turnovers, six from A-10 Rookie of the Year Joseph Chartouny, and resulted in a 21-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
“We’ve had so much trouble this season dribbling and catching, and Chris Mooney is a good coach, and they pressed us,” Neubauer said. “It really gave us a lot of trouble.”
Richmond’s Khwan Fore proved to be the biggest instigator of all.
The redshirt freshman tallied just 10 points, but registered three steals and helped force countless turnovers with his quickness and athleticism. Fore even frustrated Chartourny, limiting his drives and affecting his shots from the field in a 6-of-19, 19-point performance.
Fore’s defense, along with the effort Fordham exerted in its comeback attempt, seemed to tire the Rams over the final eight minutes. They turned the ball over five times and missed 6-of-9 shots.
“It certainly felt that way,” Neubauer said of the Rams fading.
There is still a strong possibility the Rams could receive an invite to a postseason tournament. Fordham had its most wins since the 2006-07 squad grabbed 18 and finished by winning four of its last five games.
A postseason invite would mark the next step in the rebuilding of a Fordham program which has just two winning seasons over the past 25 years.
“I think it would be a good step for Fordham at this point,” Neubauer said. “Our team has given great effort and they’ve really gotten better. I think at some times there are teams with a winning record that are not interested in playing, but our group is so close and so excited about basketball that I think it would be a good idea.”
GW 73, Saint Louis 65
Yuta Watanabe scored 19 points and George Washington beat Saint Louis. The Colonials (23-9) who still hold slim hopes for an at-large NCAA bid, advanced to face St. Joseph’s on Friday.
UMass 67, Rhode Island 62
Trey Davis hit a 3-pointer with 32.7 seconds left to help to push UMass past Rhode Island. The Minutemen (14-17) face No. 2 VCU.
Davidson 78, La Salle 63
Peyton Aldridge scored 27 points for Davidson (19-11). The sixth-seeded Wildcats will face third-seeded St. Bonaventure.
— with AP
