As the final position for the Atlantic-10 playoffs ended in a three-way tie between Fordham, LaSalle and Rhode Island, the tie-breaking procedures were needed. Rhode Island was eliminated as it was defeated by Fordham and LaSalle during the season. A coin toss decided that Fordham would be included. Fordham coach Cathy Andruzzi expressed her elation for Fordham’s inclusion,

“I’m so excited and happy for our players…I am very thankful for the opportunity to continue playing and I am so excited about being in the Atlantic-10 tournament.” This will be Andruzzi’s first A-10 tourney as Fordham’s head coach. Fordham is scheduled to meet St. Joseph’s on Friday, March 5 at 2:30 PM.” In the only meeting between the two teams this season, St. Joseph’s edged the Rams, 62-57.

Randall Hurst, the one senior on the squad, was honored prior to the contest. Hurst came to Rose Hill two years ago to play with the team and earn her degree in Visual Arts and Architecture. The Detroit, Michigan native was reared in West Bloomfield, Michigan, the same town as Fordham teammate Kristina Bell. Hurst was a star on her high school basketball team. She spent her collegiate freshman year at the University of Central Florida. She remained in Florida for her sophomore year at Daytona Beach Community College. During her two years at Fordham, Hurst led the Rams in scoring and rebounding. Her 13.2 points per game average is seventh in team history.

Hurst was escorted on court for the pre-game ceremony by her parents. The young woman gave credit for their support throughout her life, “My parents have been very supportive of me and love coming to watch me play. They have been watching me through high school and came to almost every AAU tournament I played in. I’m always excited for my parents to see me.”

Hurst is hopeful of continuing her basketball career after her graduation. She said, “I’d like to go overseas to play, preferably in Europe.” Several of Fordham’s most successful players such as Lisa Carrol and Mobolaje Akiodoi continued their playing careers overseas. Fordham’s greatest female basketball player, Anne Gregory, played professionally in France after graduating from Fordham. Hurst articulately expressed what it feels like to end one phase of life and to begin another, “It’s scary and exciting at the same time. You don’t know what to expect.”

Hurst’s time on court ended unexpectedly early as she injured her knee four minutes into the game and was not able to return. After the contest, she assured those concerned that she was fine. The visitors from Cincinnati took a 10-0 lead in the early minutes. Xavier’s highly respected front court  tandem, Amber Harris and Ta’Shia Phillips, scored all ten of those points. At that point, it appeared that Xavier was well on the way to an easy 15^th consecutive victory.

The Rams fought back tenaciously and took the first and only lead of the game, 32-31, on a three by freshman Arielle Collins.  The Rams remained competitive until falling behind by double digits, 60-50, with 7:33 left in the game. Xavier scored the final six points to win by 15, 74-59. The victory was Xavier 15^th straight. The Musketeers ended A-10 Conference play with a perfect 14-0 mark.

Xavier superior bigs, Harris (6-5) and Phillips (6-6), made the difference in the contest. The duo grabbed 23 of their teams 50 rebounds contrasted with 28 boards for the Rams, blocked five shots and scored 39 of Xavier’s 74 points. Harris achieved her 12^th double-double of the season and Phillips her 17^th.

Four players on Fordham scored in double figures. Several of the team stepped up after the elimination of Hurst, Fordham’s leading scorer early in the contest. Sophomore Becky Peters displayed her talent, energy and leadership during a team-high 37 minutes on court. She led Fordham in scoring with 17, but was no less effective on defense garnering a career high of five steals. When complimented upon her leadership skills, she responded, “I have five siblings.”

The players on both teams are now looking forward to the next phase of the 2009-10 season. Fordham could show the team’s continued improvement with a good showing in next week’s A-10 tournament and Xavier could demonstrate that its highest ever rating is well-deserved by an outstanding NCAA Tournament performance.

The statistics Gaston has reached are not only impressive for a college freshman but are among the best of any player in the A-10. He has already accomplished a double-double 16 times this season, but has double figure averages in points and rebounds. Among Atlantic-10 competitors, Gaston ranks fourth in scoring average (17.6 ppg.). He ranks second among Fordham freshman with 450 points, exceeded only by Bevon Robin with 495.

Gaston has three games remaining in which to break the Fordham mark. This should not be difficult as Gaston has scored 32 points in three different games. His field goal percentage has only been bettered by eight A-10 players. The great shooter and aggressive offensive threat is no less effective on defense.

Although only 6-7, Gaston is second in the A-10 with 10.9 rebounds per game. His leaping ability not only contributes to his capability to rebound but makes him one of the top shot blockers in the conference. He is seventh in the conference in shots blocked with 1.8 blocks per game. In a February 6 contest against A-10 leading Charlotte, Gaston tied his season-high of 32 points in a single-handed attempt to win the game.

Fordham coach Jared Grasso effusively praised Gaston, “He’s the best freshman in the league. Today, he was the best player in the league. He’s fun to coach.” In the early minutes of the second half, Gaston scored 14 straight points for Fordham. When asked whether Gaston took the responsibility or whether he as coach asked Gaston to accept the load, Grasso replied, “It kind of happened hand in hand. He loves to compete [and] I have a lot of confidence in him.”

With Gaston as centerpiece and last week’s decision of the Board of Trustees of Fordham to greatly increase its spending on men’s basketball, the Rams made be much improved in the near future.

The closeness of the game was made apparent immediately. Mini-spurts by each team earned the largest advantage each achieved in the first half. Five unanswered points by the Rams gave Fordham a 16-11 lead at 13:25 of the first half. Late in the half, six straight points by the visitors earned Charlotte a 28-24 advantage with 3:02 left in the half. To the joy of the hopeful fans in the gym, Fordham led 30-29 at the half.

Charlotte began the second half with three straight baskets to move ahead by a score of 35-30. Chris Gaston then put on a one-man show. The Fordham frosh scored the next 12 points to give the Rams a 42-35 lead with 14:58 remaining in the game. Fordham coach Jared Grasso said of the young man’s effort, “He’s the best freshman in the league. Today, he was the best player in the league.  He put the team on his back.” Two layups by Fordham’s Jacob Green gave Fordham its game high lead of 10 points, 59-49, with 6:59 left. The lead was reversed with an 18 point contribution by Derrio Green of Charlotte during the final five minutes. Green scored 22 of his team high of 24 in the second half. Grasso praised the achievement,

“Derrio Green was fantastic. Hats off to him! He made some great shots. That’s what great players do.” Fordham’s Chris Gaston accomplished his 13^th double-double of the season. He scored 32 points and grabbed 12 boards. He also led the Rams with six assists. He is the favorite to earn the A-10 Rookie of the Year award at the conclusion of the season.

Grasso, youngest head coach in NCAA Division I, was pleased by the progress of his freshman dominated squad, “It was one of those games where we had them on the ropes. This team grew up today. This team, when we add some pieces, will be very good. I’m happy with where we are. We’re moving in the right direction.” The Rams return home on Saturday, February 13^th for a 1 PM matinee with George Washington.

Temple, thus far, has compiled one of its best early season marks. Currently ranked #16/17 in national polls, The Owls defeated top 5 ranked Villanova on December 13. Two of its three losses came at the hands of ranked teams. Georgetown edged Temple, 46-45, and the Owls were blown out by Kansas, then #1 ranked. Its only other defeat was by the St. John’s Red Storm.

Fordham, on the other hand, has started horribly. Its head coach, Derek Whittenburg, was fired after coaching the first five games of the season. The slow start followed a 3-25 record in the 2008-9 season. The current head coach, Jared Grasso, the youngest head coach in Division I men’s basketball, has led the team to only one victory in 12 contests.

The background of the two teams seemed totally irrelevant as they battled evenly during the first half. The score was knotted three times and the lead changed hands five times during the first 10 minutes. A layup by Fordham’s Chris Gaston at 9:25 gave Fordham its final lead of the game. The half ended with the visitors leading, 22-19. The stats for the teams were very similar. Both shot below 30% from the floor. Each only netted two treys and grabbed 18 boards.

Temple’s three more free throws than Fordham were the difference between the two. Veteran coach Fran Dunphy spoke of his team’s poor start, “I have no idea why we start so slow. We had decent looks in the first half, but we didn’t make them.”

Temple adjusted well in the second half, and began the period with a 16-4 scoring run to take a 38-23 lead with 13:45 remaining. Temple continued its domination of the contest, raising its advantage to 23 points. Fordham closed the game outscoring the visitors 14-8, but it was too little, too late. Temple’s shooting from the floor was outstanding. The Owls netted 16 of 24 attempts, 7 of 9 from beyond the arc. Dunphy credited his bench players, who outscored Fordham 26-12, for creating the separation during the second half. Sophomore Scootie Reynolds, averaging less than two points per game, scored all 12 of his points in the second half on four of five from three point range. Grasso talked of his team’s inability to play effectively for 40 minutes,

“We played 22-23 minutes, and ran out of gas.” Grasso, as he often does, spoke of the youth of his freshmen dominated squad, “We showed how young we are. In the second half, they made more shots, and we didn’t respond. Sometimes, you see the difference between upperclassmen and freshmen.” Grasso did speak very positively of the effort his players make, “They’re playing hard. The effort is there. I’m not disappointed.”

Freshman Chris Gaston of the Rams, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, continued his double digit average in both categories with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

There was a similarity in how both games were played. The two teams battled competitively throughout the first half in each contest. Fordham’s opponents, after a lengthy scoring run, took a double digit lead that could not be overcome. The young Fordham squad was outclassed in experience and cohesiveness in each game. Fordham’s first year head coach Jared Grasso, the youngest NCAA Division I coach in the nation, replaced ousted former coach Derek Whittenburg on December 3. Grasso explained each loss with similar words. On Wed he said, “I’m proud of the effort, but we have to be 40 minutes good, not 25 or 30.” After Saturday’s game in the Bronx, Grasso opined, “They’re freshmen; they don’t know what it takes to play 40 minutes.”

Fordham trailed 16-7 at the 12:36 mark of the opening half of its rare game at MSG. An 18-7Saturday’s result at home was much the same  scoring run by the Rams tied the game at 24 with 3:07 left in the half. The halftime score was a surprisingly close 31-26 in favor of Dayton. Fordham earned its only advantage of the contest, 36-35, at 17:37 in the second. Dayton them made its second half surge. A 17-3 Flyers scoring run brought the team a 52-39 lead with 12:32 remaining. Dayton reached a game-gh advantage of 21 (69-48) with 4: 34 to go in the contest.

The visitors took an early lead on Saturday, but the game was tied six times and the lead changed hands four times in the first half. Fordham final advantage of the game was the same score as its only lead on Wednesday, 36-35. It occurred with 1:36 remaining the first half. Rhode Island netted the final five points of the half to go ahead by a 40-36 score. After two more tied scores, the Rams of Rhode Island sco0red 16 unanswered points to go ahead 68-46. After a long 30-4 scoring the run, Rhode island earned its largest lead, 28 points, 76-48, The lead decreased in the final minutes, but the result was already decided.

Jim Baron, a four-time winner of the A-10 Coach of the Year Award, spoke of the reasons for his team’s victory, “I thought it was two different halves. [In the second half], I thought we did a much better job defending and sharing the ball. We played very aggressive and intense.” Grasso talked of his team’s youth and his faith in its future improvement, “Our freshmen play more minutes than any team in the country…We have to get tougher. We have to learn to fight through adversity. We’re getting better. We’re getting better than we were two weeks ago. I know we’re going to be good with these young guys.”