The Fordham men’s basketball team opened their home game season at the historic Rose Hill Gymnasium with a 78-63 win against the Binghamton Bearcats on Tuesday night.
The Rams’ starting lineup featured Japhet Medor, Gabelli Graduate School of Business (GGSB) ’25, Matt Zona, GGSB ’25, Jackie Johnson III, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’25, Romad Dean, FCRH ’26, and Will Richardson, FCRH ’26.
Points started to show on the board three minutes into the game. Dean hit a 3-pointer, assisted by Richardson, to give Fordham their first home game points of the season.
The Rams struggled with missed shots and turnovers as the Bearcats’ offense heated up.
Despite energetic support from the cheerleaders and crowd, the Rams hit a cold streak and went 1-8 from the field to fall behind the Bearcats, who built a lead with strong offensive play.
Nearly two and a half minutes later, Johnson fired a pass from the corner to Joshua Rivera, FCRH ’26, who nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 6-6.
The Rams struggled with missed shots and turnovers as the Bearcats’ offense heated up. They went on a 7-0 run with points from the paint to increase the score to 13-6 Binghamton, with plenty of time left in the half.
Head Coach Keith Urgo later praised his team’s energy and effort, particularly on defense.
The Rams answered back with impressive 3-point shooting. Riley and Richardson each sank a shot to close the gap, helping the Rams find their rhythm.
Johnson scored 8 points in three minutes. Medor and Zona added points from the arc and the paint to extend Fordham’s lead to 12 with 5:38 left in the half.
Head Coach Keith Urgo later praised his team’s energy and effort, particularly on defense.
“I’m really happy with our energy and our effort,” Urgo said. “I thought our defense, not in the very beginning, but from that 16 to eight-minute mark, was elite.”
“For the most part, I thought our traps were excellent. We want to create massive amounts of chaos and use our speed, and I think we did that well — in stretches.” Keith Urgo, head coach
Fordham’s strong 3-point shooting, including 5 scored by Riley and Richardson, helped the Rams build a 10-point lead at the half, with a score of 38-28. The Rams were more successful than the Bearcats in 3-point shooting (36.8% to Binghamton’s 20%) and free-throw shooting (75% to Binghamton’s 58%). The Rams’ defense wreaked havoc on their opponent, forcing 11 turnovers.
In a postgame interview, Urgo emphasized the team’s defensive intensity.
“For the most part, I thought our traps were excellent,” Urgo said. “We want to create massive amounts of chaos and use our speed, and I think we did that well — in stretches.”
The Rams continued to dominate both offensively and defensively in the second half, maintaining a double-digit lead over the Bearcats.
Johnson opened the second half with a strong drive to the basket, finishing on the left side. Three minutes into the half, the Rams scored 6 straight points, pushing the score to 50-34.
Although the Bearcats fought back to narrow the gap to 60-56 with a layup by forward Ben Callanhan-Gold, the Rams responded with a 19-4 run, culminating in a 3-pointer by Rivera to give them a 21-point lead with four minutes remaining.
The Rams controlled the rest of the game to secure their first home victory of the regular season.
Johnson led the Rams in scoring with 23 points on 8-12 shooting. He also finished the game with five rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Other notable performances included Riley’s, who led with three 3-pointers, scoring 11 points with four rebounds; Rivera, with 11 points; and Romad, with 10 points, three rebounds, and a block.
The Rams have shown a strong start to the season, giving fans plenty to look forward to. After the win, Urgo praised the team’s performance, especially in the second half.
“(The Bearcats’) energy and effort forced us to buckle down in the second half, which I was proud of,” he said.
The Rams fell to the Manhattan Jaspers 78-76 on Friday, Nov. 15.
After their 101-61 win against the Georgian Court Lions on Nov. 19, they will play Drexel on Nov. 22.