Fordham coach Tom Pecora told The Post on Tuesday freshmen Eric Paschall and Chris Sengfelder have developed a great relationship during their first year at Rose Hill.
So on Wednesday night, with Paschall limited to 11 minutes by an ankle injury, it was only fitting for Sengfelder to carry the Rams to another Atlantic 10 tournament victory.
Behind a season-high 27 points from Sengfelder, Fordham defeated George Mason in the opening round of the tournament for the second straight season, posting a 71-65 victory at Barclays Center.
“We played the last two games without Eric and we lost both games, so there was a little bit of pressure on me, and on the team as well,” Sengfelder said. “I try to get through the game without any pressure or thoughts in my mind, just play the game.”
Fordham (10-20) advanced to the second round, where it will meet fifth-seeded VCU on Thursday.
“We played the same team two years in a row and to get them both times is a great feeling,” senior guard Bryan Smith said. “We had some wins that we shouldn’t have had and we lost close games, but this is very satisfying.”
Though the Rams were in control throughout the contest — George Mason (9-21) did not lead after the 5:42 mark in the first half — it took all 40 minutes for them to put the pesky Patriots away.
After taking a nine-point lead with 12:21 to play, Fordham’s lead was eventually sliced to two with 3:49 remaining, but three straight Rams baskets appeared to give them breathing room.
Nevertheless, George Mason hit two 3’s in the final minute to get back within two, forcing Fordham to ice the game from the free-throw line. Sengfelder was fouled securing a rebound with three seconds left and provided the final margin of victory with two free throws.
“You hear it about a lot of kids — he just keeps getting better and better,” Pecora said of Sengfelder, who was named to the Atlantic 10 all-rookie team on Tuesday, along with Paschall. “We have a hard physical practice, I come back out 20 minutes later and he’s out shooting with one of the coaches.”
Duquesne 61, St. Louis 55
Micah Mason had 19 points and eight rebounds and Duquesne beat Saint Louis 61-55 in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 tournament to end the Billikens’ first-to-worst season.
