Men’s basketball falls to Fordham in double overtime game
The Saint Joseph’s University men’s basketball team took on the Fordham University Rams at Hagan Arena on Feb. 4. The game was part of a new tournament called “Jesuit Basketball Weekend,” where 13 Jesuit basketball teams faced off against each other in a total of 10 games.
“We did not communicate well at all,” Head Coach Phil Martelli said after the game. “Communication was off.”
Both the Hawks and the Rams needed this win to stay competitive in the Atlantic 10. Both teams had a conference record of 3-6 going into the game. Fordham was also looking for their first win against the Hawks as they have not beaten the Hawks in their last three matchups.
The Hawks started off the game with the ball, but had a sloppy start. After sophomore Lamarr Kimble got the scoring started with a 2-point jumper, the Hawks danced into a rhythm and started to score more points.
The game was moving back and forth as both teams were scoring. After, freshman Charlie Brown entered the game for the Hawks, he made six 3-pointers. The Hawks started to heat up and took a 5-point lead into halftime.
“We have to get him [Brown] to hunt a little bit more in the zone, he was kind of like moving through the zone instead of hunting for dead spots,” Martelli said, though Brown was 6-11 beyond the arc.
After halftime, the Hawks rose above their competitors with a pair of threes from junior James Demery and Brown. The Hawks built a lead by as much as 15 points about half way through the second half.
The Hawks could not keep the strong momentum going. Fordham put on a great run in the remaining minutes of the second half and took the lead with 19 seconds left in the half. Then, the Hawks designed a play and got the ball to Kimble who made a game leading three, but the defense broke down and Fordham sunk a layup to take the game to the first overtime.
The Hawks won the opening tipoff, but it was Fordham who started out on top, creating a 6-point lead.
The Hawks were able to play stronger defense and started to destroy Fordham’s lead. Kimble made both foul shots and the game was tied again, sending the teams back onto the floor for double overtime.
The Hawks won the tipoff again and got a lead of four, but they could not hold on. Fordham again got a lead, and again Kimble was on the line to tie the game. Thankfully for the Hawks, Kimble was making his foul shots and tied the game with seven seconds left.
Fordham advanced the ball out of the press, dribbled to their side, and gave the ball to Rams player Antwonie Anderson. Anderson took the ball, pulled up, and fired the final shot of the game.
However, in typical Philadelphia fashion, the Hawks had a crushing defeat and lose on a buzzer beater. Martelli said the last shot “was good enough to go in.”
Overall, the Hawks went 24-40 from the foul line shooting 60 percent. The Hawks missed key foul shots late in the game that allowed Fordham to get ahead. The Hawks also went 24-63 from 2-point range for 38.1 percent and 11-23 from beyond the arch for 47.8 percent. Martelli was not happy with the shooting during the game and said “it’s embarrassing.”
The Hawks’ MVP was Kimble with 24 points and 4 assists across his 50 minutes of playing time.
“Our physicality stopped, and that’s how they were able to get what they wanted,” Kimble said after the game.
The final score after double overtime was Fordham 86, St. Joe’s 83. This was the first double overtime game for the Hawks since a loss against St. Bonaventure University on Feb. 2, 2012.
The Hawks’ next game is Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. at Dayton University followed by a game at Hagan Arena on Feb. 11 against the University of Massachusetts at 2:30 p.m.
