Davidson Triumphs as Men’s Basketball Faces Defeat

Gallery: (1-11-2025) Men’s Basketball at Davidson

Davidson, N.C. – “Mother Nature is not kind”, remarked John Shelby Spong, an American bishop from the Episcopal Church hailing from Charlotte, N.C. The Fordham men’s basketball squad encountered an unkind Mother Nature this week. On Wednesday, the Rams played in a vacant Siegel Center while the city of Richmond faced a water scarcity due to a winter storm. The following night, the Rams dealt with a mix of snow and freezing rain in the Charlotte region, making for a treacherous journey to Davidson this morning. They then faced an energized Davidson College team as the Wildcats halted a second-half comeback attempt by the Rams, winning 74-64 in an Atlantic 10 matchup at Belk Arena.
 
Consequently, Fordham’s record now stands at 8-9 overall, 0-4 in the Atlantic 10, while Davidson progresses to 12-4 overall, 2-1 in the conference.

The Rams were spearheaded by senior guard Jackie Johnson III and graduate student guard Japhet Medor, both contributing 20 points, with Medor also adding five assists. Junior forward Romad Dean recorded six points alongside a team-leading ten rebounds.

 

Fordham was down by 16 at halftime, 36-20, and extended it to 18 with the opening basket of the second half, 38-20, marking the Wildcats’ largest advantage of the day.

 

A layup by Medor sparked a 13-6 run from Fordham, reducing the deficit to eleven points, 44-33, following a floater by Johnson with 15:19 left in the game.

 

Davidson pushed the lead back to 12, 48-36, a minute later when five consecutive points from Matt Zona, with the initial three on a three-point play, brought the Rams within seven, 48-41, with 12:47 on the clock.

 

The Wildcats restored their lead to 14, 60-46, three minutes later, while the Rams chipped away at the deficit, getting to within seven at 68-61 on a driving layup by Medor with just 1:05 remaining, but that was their closest approach.

 

The Rams stumbled out of the gates as Davidson scored the initial ten points before a jumper by Japhet Medor finally put Fordham on the scoreboard after 4:20 had elapsed in the game.

 

A layup by Matt Zona just 29 seconds later reduced Fordham’s deficit to six, 10-4, while a driving layup by Johnson with 12:48 left in the half made it a five-point game, 16-11.

 

However, the Wildcats countered with a 12-2 surge to take a 28-13 lead on a hook shot by Reed Bailey at the 7:32 mark and maintained a 16-point advantage at halftime, 36-20,

 

Key Takeaways

• This marked the third occasion this year where the Rams had two players score 20 points in a game (FDU and Manhattan).

 

• Following the end of his streak of 15 consecutive games with double-digit scoring against VCU on Wednesday, Jackie Johnson III achieved his seventh 20-point game for the season.

 

• Johnson has connected at least once from three-point range in 15 of 16 games this season.

 

• Japhet Medor has reached double figures in scoring in five of the last six contests.

 

• The Rams’ all-time record at Davidson is now 2-8, with their victories occurring in 2022-23 and 2016-17.

 

• Davidson came into the game leading the Atlantic 10 with a three-point shooting percentage of .370 and was ranked fourth in terms of three-pointers made per game (8.7), shooting 31.3% today (5-16).

 

• Davidson boasts a perfect 10-0 record at home

 

• The Wildcats were playing their first game since the previous Saturday.

 

• Davidson possesses an international team composition, with students from England, New Zealand, Italy, and Latvia.

 

• Davidson and Fordham will clash again on February 22 at the Rose Hill Gym.

 

Statistical Highlights

4 – Steals recorded by the Rams, marking a season-low.

 

10 – Rebounds achieved by Romad Dean, establishing a season-best.

 

14.0 – Japhet Medor’s scoring average over the last six games.

 

40 – Career games in double figures for Japhet Medor

 

45 – Three-pointers made by Jackie Johnson II this season.

 

46 – Career games in double figures for Jackie Johnson III

 

602 – Career rebounds for Abdou Tsimbila at Fordham, who grabbed three today, ranking 21st on the Rams’ all-time list.

 

What’s Ahead?

• The Rams will continue their 2024-25 Atlantic 10 campaign by hosting the University of Massachusetts Minutemen in the historic Rose Hill Gym on Wednesday, January 15, at 7:00 p.m.

 

• This matchup will be the 54th encounter between Fordham and Massachusetts on the court.

 

• The Minutemen lead the overall series, which began in the 1967-68 season, with a record of 34-19, although the two teams have divided the past four matchups.

 

• UMass edged last year’s confrontation, 66-64, in Amherst on March 6, where Josh Cohen contributed 19 points and nine rebounds for the Minutemen, while Abdou Tsimbila recorded 14 points and ten boards for the Rams.