By Joe Budzelek
A five-game winning streak flourished at the softer tail end of Fordham’s non-conference schedule, but A-10 play continued its difficult start as the Rams lost their second straight home game by a 20 point deficit this afternoon with a 86-to-66 loss to St. Bonaventure.
Fordham is now riding a four game defensive schneid with opponents scoring at least 83 points in each game during this span. “We need to focus on some of the fundamentals,” says Fordham head coach Keith Urgo reflecting on the team’s defensive struggles, “we played some really good halfcourt defense in stretches, but we gave up too many transition points, whether it was from a bunch of bad shots, run outs or turnovers."
Statistically speaking, the Bonnies offense was a smooth-running machine all afternoon with both Melvin Council Jr. (24 points on 11-for-18 shooting) and Jonah Hinton (17 points on 6-for-11 shooting) reaching season highs while Lajae Jones (16 points and 10 rebounds) earned his first double-double with the Bonnies.
As a team, the Rams’ unsettled defense allowed the Bonnies to shoot 55% from two and 47% from three, which spoiled the Rams own efficient night on the floor, with the team making half of their two-pointers and 37% of their three-pointers. In particular, Jackie Johnson III made a career high five three-pointers that laid the foundation to his 21-point effort while Romad Dean and Japhet Medor scored a baker’s dozen apiece.
In a vacuum, Fordham’s solid day on offense isn’t a problem in itself, but, Urgo notes “We’re allowing offense to dictate our energy…that’s something we have to get over. We have to figure out a way to not make basic mental mistakes: footwork on defense where there’s direct line passing lines for shooters [...] We’re compounding problems too much. One mistake on offense leads to one mistake on defense and that continues. We’ve got to clean that up.” Later in the press conference, Urgo added "I need to do a much better job coaching them to where I want them to be on the defensive end."
In addition to the Rams strong shooting, there was some silver lining this afternoon, even on the defensive end. Some of Fordham’s best defensive possessions were in a 3-2 zone, which plays to Fordham priority of preventing opponents from attempting three-pointers. Today, only a third of the Bonnies’ shots were from beyond the arch and the zone was a big part of that.
Also, Ryan Pettis quietly impressed in his fourteen minutes off the bench as the freshman stepped up in place of the injured Will Richardson and Joshua Rivera, tying a season high three assists while also bringing energy on the defensive end and a spirited jolt in transition. “[Ryan] has had a couple great practices,” said Urgo, “His last couple of practices have been so focused on playing as hard as he possibly can. He can help us with his length, his toughness and quickness, so we’re going to start to see some more minutes out of him.”
Following a challenging two-game road trip facing VCU and then Davidson, Fordham will hope to return back to Rose Hill as a different, more physical team. Urgo says “Typically, when teams leave here, even if they get a W, they never want to see us again. We’ve got to get to that mindset and that identity. The last two teams that played here, they’re not afraid to play us again."
Few A-10 teams have struggled on offense as badly as UMass, Fordham's next home opponent, so the Rams have a ripe opportunity to settle their defensive game on Wednesday, January 15th.
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