Only three weeks of regular season basketball remain for the Fordham men’s varsity team. Thus far, the Rams have amassed a 13-11 overall record and a 4-9 conference record. It is evident that Coach Jeff Neubauer’s team will have to finish off the regular season strong in order to receive a higher seeding for the Atlantic-10 Championship in March. This past week, the Fordham Rams first played against the University of Richmond, then hosted the University of Massachusetts (UMass).

On Feb. 13, the University of Richmond Spiders (13-10 overall, 5-6 conference) hosted Fordham University’s Rams (12-10, 3-8). This faceoff marked the 23rd meeting between these two teams, with the Spiders having won the past ten matchups. They also led the all-time series 15-7. This game’s intensity reached its maximum in the second half when Fordham took a 59-50 lead following a Joseph Chartouny layup. This was the Rams’ largest lead of the game with 5:10 remaining. The home team scored six points in the following 1:38 to trim Fordham’s lead to three, 59-56. A foul by the Rams’ Ryan Rhoomes at the 2:15 mark sent Richmond’s Terry Allen to the free-throw line. He drained both foul shots, cutting his team’s deficit to one, 62-61. At the 1:52 mark, a foul by David Pekarek once again placed the home team at the charity stripe. This time, it was Shawndre’ Jones who knocked down both shots, placing his team ahead, 63-62. Moments later, Rhoomes was fouled by Allen. This time, he exchanged favors by knocking down two free throws of his own, placing Fordham up 64-63. Richmond would then go on a last run to secure the win with a final score of 71-67. Fordham was led by Ryan Rhoomes and Christian Sengfelder, who finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds, and 14 points and 15 rebounds, respectively. Additionally, Chartouny and Pekarek each chipped in 13 points of their own.

On Feb. 17, Fordham University’s Rams (12-11, 3-9) hosted the Minutemen from the University of Massachusetts (11-13, 4-8). Coach Neubauer and his squad hoped to rebound following their loss to Richmond. This game marked the 43rd meeting between these two teams, with UMass leading the all-time series 29-13. As the game started, Fordham saw itself fall behind quickly. The Rams were first down eight 14-6 7:39 into the game, and then down by nine, 18-9 with 9:51 remaining on the clock. Fordham then surged with a run of its own, initiated by a series of four consecutive three-pointers. By the time the run ended, Fordham saw itself ahead with a 36-18 lead. The Minutemen trimmed the Rams’ lead to 13, 38-25. However, at the end of the break, Antwoine Anderson threw down a buzzer-beating dunk to give his team a 15-point lead at the break. In the second half, UMass scored the first eight points to cut the home team’s advantage to seven, 40-33. Sengfelder answered back with a three-pointer, giving Fordham a ten-point lead again. The Minutemen were only able to cut the deficit to nine over the next two minutes. Fordham soared to a 76-66 victory. Three Rams scored in double digits: Jon Severe, Ryan Rhoomes, and Christian Sengfelder. They all combined for 34 points. This win also marked the first time, since 2007, that Fordham defeated a team twice in the regular season.

Fordham returns to action on Saturday Feb. 20 to play Saint Louis University. The 8 p.m. away matchup will be nationally televised on ASN (American Sports Network) and in New York, on SNY.