Photo by Hunter Hensel
Against the Davidson Wildcats on Tuesday, the Fordham Rams scored just 5 points by the first half under-12 timeout. Against the VCU Rams on Wednesday in Round 2, Fordham had tripled their scoring efforts at that same media timeout, trailing the Rams from Richmond 17-15. Abdou Tsimbila found his footing early for 4 points in the paint in 4 minutes, and Kyle Rose, who scored just 6 points in Tuesday’s overtime win, got things going from deep for Fordham with an early 3-pointer.
On the defensive end, Antrell Charlton led the way once again on the perimeter, forcing VCU to take uncomfortable looks from three while forcing two shot clock violations in the first half. Despite Fordham’s staunch defense, VCU still found opportunities to get crucial buckets. Max Shulga hit an early deep bucket from the right wing to tie the game at 7 apiece, the first of VCU’s 5 first half three pointers.
A 39% shooter from three in his career, Shulga explained postgame that he took a methodical approach from the arc against Fordham.
“[I focused on] taking the shots that I’m comfortable with, and the ones that were given to me,” Shulga said. “We know that they’re one of the best [teams] in the country in guarding the three point line and limiting shots from there.”
Senior VCU Forward Kuany Kuany was also a top contributor in the first half, with a dunk right out of the under-16 to put VCU up 9-7, as well as a layup mid-way through the first to put VCU back up 24-22.
While VCU focused on getting past Fordham’s defense from three, it was the Maroon and White’s offense from the arc that allowed them to enter the break up 38-37. Kyle Rose, who scored 16 points in the first, shot 3-4 from deep before halftime. According to Zeb Jackson, several VCU defensive breakdowns, as well as Rose’s ball-handling ability, allowed the Fordham senior to start the afternoon hot from the field.
“Kyle Rose had a good amount to do with that [Fordham’s shooting percentage] in the first half,” Jackson explained. “We definitely wanted to shut him down, but also just limit breakdowns. A lot of threes they were getting was [from] us breaking down, us not communicating, and it leading to good threes, not just contested ones.”
While Rose scored just three points in the second half, his teammates came up big to keep up with VCU. On the defensive end, Antrell Charlton tipped an errant pass from Jason Nelson, allowing Japhet Medor to recover the ball and force a trip to the line while going coast-to-coast. After going scoreless in the first, Will Richardson hit two nearly identical three pointers from the left corner to help keep Fordham up 5 as they approached the under-12.
According to Coach Urgo, Medor’s play over the past two games has laid the groundwork for a bright future in the Atlantic 10.
“[2023-24] was a learning curve for him [considering] where he came from,” Urgo said. “[In] his second year in Division I, coming into the Atlantic 10 [and] seeing how physical it was, it takes a long time to get used to.”
Medor finished the day with 6 points and an assist.
After 30 minutes filled with big buckets, scoring from the field for both teams gradually grinded to a complete halt, as both Fordham and VCU committed a slew of late fouls and turnovers. Christian Fermin scored the last VCU field goal at the 8:40 mark, a fast break hook shot to tie the game at 54. Just over two minutes later, Fordham’s Jahmere Tripp would body his way through Bairstow for a layup that brought Fordham 57-54 deficit to 57-56. From then on, it was all free throws. VCU would draw more contact on Fordham defenders, clinching a spot in the quarterfinals with a 69-62 victory.
With the win, VCU secures a meeting with the 4-seed UMass Minutemen. After such a physical win, VCU Head Coach Ryan Odom felt that this game really spoke to the tough, physical identity that so many Atlantic 10 teams embrace.
“I think that game and some of the others that I’ve watched and had a chance to see the scores have been what the A-10 has been about all season,” Coach Odom explained. “There’s a lot of parity, a lot of tough teams, a lot of excellent coaches, a lot of great individual players, and these games are going to be tight.”
With the loss, Fordham finishes their 2023-24 season with a 12-20 record. Throughout Fordham’s final post game presser of the season, Coach Urgo, Kyle Rose, and Antrell Charlton expressed their gratitude for each other, as well as the opportunity to represent Fordham in the Atlantic 10 and Men’s College Basketball as a whole.
“Were there a few mishaps on defense? Yes, that just comes with the game, but I definitely feel like we all left it out on the floor,” Rose said. “I just feel like my teammates gave all that they could give, our coaches gave all that they could give, and we just fell short of the task today.”
Charlton, who spent 3 seasons at Fordham after a season at Indian River State (a JUCO in Florida), said that the opportunity to play under Coach Urgo was the main reason that Fordham caught his eye in the transfer portal.
“[Urgo] coached my brother at Penn State, so when he called me and offered me [a spot], I was literally committed to Fordham in 15 minutes. [I] didn’t take a visit, didn’t look it up. My dad, my mom, my brother, they all told me I could trust Coach Urgo, so I just came.”
Charlton’s brother, Jamari Wheeler, played 5 seasons at Penn State, from 2017 to 2022. Coach Urgo was an assistant coach at Penn State under Pat Chambers from 2012 to 2021.
With the season now behind Fordham, Coach Urgo took some time to reflect on how his Rams have fought this week in comparison to expectations after the regular season.
“Our goal was to become the best team we could be by the end of the year,” Urgo explained. “I don’t think anybody who has been watching us all year long could say that wasn’t the case. We’re playing the best basketball that we played all year long. It was just a little too late.”
Taking an early look into next year, Coach Urgo talked about the jump that returning talent such as Jahmere Tripp, Will Richardson, and more can make in the offseason, as well as how this year will fuel more success in ‘24-’25 and beyond.
“We have a lot that we can build off of, especially this late run. That’s what we talked about in that locker room. Hopefully they come back incredibly hungry [after] seeing what we’re capable of being.”
