This past Saturday, Jan. 28, saw George Washington University (GWU) visit the Rose Hill Gymnasium to take on the high energy Fordham Rams. The game had all the best elements of a high stakes Atlantic 10 (A10) conference matchup. The stars of the show were Khalid Moore, Gabelli Graduate School of Business ’23, who continued to show leadership and prolific scoring ability, and Head Coach Keith Urgo, as he continued to infect his team with confidence, leading to their fourth win in a row.

The game started off with Rostyslav Novitskyi, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’23, who usually comes off the bench, winning the tip against Hunter Dean, GWU ’23. Fordham’s Ukrainian big man set the tone. The first play almost dissolved into waste, yet Novitskyi hustled to the baseline to recover a missed 3-point attempt from Moore. The second-chance play resulted in a Novitskyi layup. The start epitomized the mentality with which Urgo wants his team to play. Pressure, intensity, passion and a never-give-up attitude were shown within the first 40 seconds of play. 

The high energy start was not confined to Fordham’s center. One minute into the game, Moore drove to the basket attempting to draw a double and dump the ball into the paint for Novitskyi. Instead, GWU stole the ball and raced upcourt to convert the turnover. However, Ram Antrell Charlton, FCRH ’24, had other ideas. A beacon of consistency and reliability, Charlton was able to steal the ball and prevent what looked like an inevitable layup. 

Taking advantage of their opponents missing one of their main players, the Rams pushed.

Despite an intense start, almost halfway through the first period GWU had gone up 21-14. Brendan Adams, GWU ’23, was largely responsible, contributing a few 3-pointers and important steals. To slow the bleeding, at 11:30 Moore attempted to play bully-ball and almost did so successfully but was unable to convert the layup. GWU’s speed was killing the Rams on the break, but Moore was able to redeem for his miss with a dominant block. With 10 minutes left in the half, Noel Brown, GWU ’24, threw down a powerful dunk after creating a mismatch in the low post.

Darius Quisenberry, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) ’23, showed no sign of being discouraged. The star guard ensured that plays were being made, dumping a ball into the hands of Elijah Gray, FCRH ’26, and converting a layup. The next play, Moore followed suit, shooting a ball into Romad Dean, FCRH ’26, for the conversion. Fordham were now up to 18 points. 

At 8:51, the Rose Hill Gymnasium witnessed an unfamiliar spectacle. Quisenberry, who averages 24.9 minutes per game, took a seat, and Charlton took a hold of the Rams offense, immediately getting an assist as Moore converted a mid-range jumper. Moore drew a foul on the next play and smiled, lifting the crowd’s spirits. Urgo’s team seemed to love the competition. Fordham’s last two plays of the half once again came from Moore. GWU went for the 2-for-1 play (the shot clock was less than the time remaining, so in order to have an extra possession they needed to make a shot very quickly). However, the intelligent play actually fell into Fordham’s lap. First, Moore hit a corner three, then he came down the floor and, with 0.6 seconds left, brought the house down with a shattering dunk. The score ended with the Rams down, 37-33. 

Urgo seemed unhappy with the Rams’ defensive performance in the first half. The second period started how the first ended. Moore shot a pure three to take the Rams’ deficit from four to one. The game continued to be a close match up; neither team was able to get away from one another. At 11:20, the score was finally tied at 52 a piece. Novitskyi was able to convert two free throws to tie the score. The next play, however, was scrappy. Kyle Rose, FCRH ’24 and the defensive anchor for Urgo’s team, attempted to steal the ball, but Dean was able to retain possession, perform an up-and-under to fool his defender, and convert a layup. The score was now 54-52, with the Rams down again. 

At 10:16, it appeared that Dean left the floor with a lower back injury as his teammates converted one of two free throws. Taking advantage of their opponents missing one of their main players, the Rams pushed. Will Richardson, FCRH ’26, came down the floor at 10:02 and sank a three, which he followed on the next play by assisting Moore on a similar shot. The score was 58-55 and marked the Rams’ first lead since the opening two minutes. 

Moore continued his scoring run with a reverse layup at 7:45, followed by Charlton rattling home a three and Gray converting an and-one play. The score was 65-58, forcing a GWU timeout. Fortunately for the Rams, the break did nothing to slow their scoring: Quisenberry supplementing a poor efficiency in the first half drained a corner three at 6:45, putting their advantage to 10. The scoring run essentially killed the game. 

Urgo has said the team’s identity is defense, yet they won this game through incredible scoring efforts from players such as Moore. The Rams, now on a four-game win streak, look to make it five when they play Saint Louis University at Rose Hill on Jan. 31.

The Rams are building confidence after encountering inconsistency over winter break. A dominant win over A10 rivals GWU could see this Fordham team cap off an already optimistic season.

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