February 7, 2009 by Josh Taylor | A10CollegeHoops

PITTSBURGH, PA — Duquesne faced perhaps the most difficult task in their conference schedule as they hosted #9-ranked Xavier Saturday night at the A.J. Palumbo Center. But the home crowd was ready for what was promoted by their student section, “The Red and Blue Crew” as the “Game of the Year.”

The entire section donned red t-shirts, and helped set the tone for a packed house and a revved-up crowd, hoping to “Red Out” the Musketeers. The Dukes, similarly dressed in their red alternate uniforms, came ready to meet the challenge as they defeated the Musketeers, 72-68, completing their biggest upset win since an 88-87 victory against Providence (also ranked ninth) on January 31, 1974.

Duquesne jumped out to an early 12-7 lead following senior point guard Aaron Jackson’s breakaway slam with 15:19 to go in the first half. The Dukes’ lone upperclass scholarship player struck again about three minutes later with a drive for a lay-up to put them ahead 24-10.

Xavier took over the momentum as they went on a 14-4 run over the next 7:05 to cut the lead to only four points. During that span, both Duquesne sophomore swingman Bill Clark and freshman guard Eric Evans missed the front ends of 1-and-1 bonus free throws.

But Duquesne exploded for 10 unanswered points, capped off by another Jackson lay-up with 2:58 left in the half to put them ahead, 42-28.

“We knew our mismatch would cause some problems for them,” Jackson said, “and we knew we could get some easy buckets, run the floor and out-run them.”

When the dust settled from a frantic first half, Duquesne had a 15-point lead, and 26 combined points from Jackson, Clark, and freshman Melquan Bolding. Duquesne shot 81 percent from the floor in the first half, including 8-of-11 from three-point range, while Xavier struggled at only 41 percent.

“I just can’t say ‘thank you’ enough for the type of environment,” Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart said of the fans, “cause our kids really did feed off that tonight. I thought we borrowed a lot of energy and enthusiasm from the crowd, and when we started making shots early in the game and that crowd got loud, it was about as good a college basketball environment as you could imagine.”

Xavier forward Derrick Brown finished the game with 15 points, the majority from free throws, and guard B.J. Raymond shot 6-of-15 for 18 points.

The second half started with a 10-3 Xavier run to make it 48-40 less than five minutes in, but back-to-back three-pointers by Duquesne slowed down another rally as the score stretched out to 54-40 with 12:25 remaining.

The small Xavier following was silenced and greeted with cheers of, “Why so quiet?” by the Red and Blue Crew.

Jason Duty’s second three-pointer of the half put Duquesne ahead, 59-48 with 9:06 remaining. Duty, a junior walk-on guard who entered the game second in the conference in three-point percentage, finished with ten points (hitting two of five from behind the arc) and four assists.

Xavier continued to chip away at the lead, getting a few times to within five, and down to three with ten seconds remaining, but Duquesne kept their composure and answered whenever Xavier challenged to make a run to take the lead. Even as the Dukes went the final seven-plus minutes of the game without a field goal, they continued to knock down critical free throws down the stretch to keep the Musketeers within arm’s length.

As Jackson was fouled after a rebound on a missed free throw by Terrell Holloway with about 30 seconds left, the crowd exploded as the Dukes walked down the floor for a bonus free throw opportunity. On his way to the lower block, a small, wry grin creeped onto Clark’s face.

Duquesne was within arm’s reach of pulling off perhaps their biggest upset in 35 years, but they refused to get too high before the final horn sounded. After a late Xavier timeout, junior guard Jason Duty exulted the crowd in celebration, but Jackson waved his arms up and down at his teammates, settling them down.

“Not yet,” Jackson admonished.

When Clark hit the first of two foul shots with three seconds left to put Duquesne ahead 72-68, Clark clapped his hands in satisfaction.

“We’re going home, boys,” Clark said.

After Clark’s second attempt missed, he made a persistent effort to knock the rebound around the floor while the final seconds ticked away, and students begain mounting the railings on the stands and as the final horn sounded. Jackson, the veteran presence and emotional leader for the Dukes, led all scorers with 21 points and added five rebounds and three assists.

Fans came pouring onto the court, as Clark, who finished with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting (including a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc), pulled off his jersey and ran around the court waving it over his head. The big upset was complete.

“Obviously it was a big win for our basketball program, and I think it was one our kids deserve,” Everhart said. “They’ve been working extremely hard, and they played very hard tonight against the team that in every way is a top-10 basketball team in the country.”

For Jackson, who endured through a 3-24 season and survived the entire overhaul of a coaching staff after his freshman year, and a tragic event where he and four of his teammates were wounded in an on-campus shooting in his sophomore year, to win such a big game as a senior immediately etched a special place in his heart.

“We brought something really special back to the Bluff,” he said, “and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

Knowing that there is much more left in the season, Jackson said he planned to celebrate for the rest of the night, then rehab the next day and get back to work Monday.

“It’s something special,” he said. “It’s extraordinary. If the season were to end right now, I’d be a happy man, but unfortunately, I get to keep on playing basketball.”

February 5, 2009 | AP Press

CINCINNATI, OH – No one at Xavier has done this since David West was knocking them down.

B.J. Raymond scored 24 points and led a 3-point barrage that swept Xavier to its 11th straight win Thursday night, an 83-74 victory over Temple that kept the ninth-ranked Musketeers perfect atop the Atlantic 10.

Facing a defense that clamped down inside, Xavier (20-2, 8-0) made most of its big shots from far away, following Raymond’s lead. The senior forward went 5-of-7 from behind the arc, and freshman Brad Redford made four 3s as Xavier knocked down 11 in all.

It was Raymond’s fourth straight 20-point game, the best such scoring streak since West was a sophomore eight years ago.

“That’s my specialty — I’m a shooter,” Raymond said.

It’s been more than that. Raymond has taken it upon himself to take shots at big points of the game, even when he’s tightly guarded.

“B.J. Raymond is arguably playing right now as well as any player in the country at his position,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said.

Temple (12-9, 4-3) was looking for a bookend Top 10 upset — the Owls knocked off Tennessee in December — but couldn’t come close as Xavier made sure the conference’s top scorer got few open shots. Dionte Christmas had only 12 points on 6-of-16 shooting.

Christmas leads the conference in scoring for the third straight season, averaging 20.5 points per game. Raymond stuck with him in Xavier’s man-to-man defense, making sure he didn’t get an open shot. Christmas missed his first four attempts — one an air ball — against the tight coverage.

“That was probably one of the best defensive performances I’ve had,” Raymond said. “It helped also that he got in foul trouble.”

Christmas seemed to get frustrated as the game went along. He picked up his third foul for bumping hard into a player he was guarding at midcourt — a poor decision. In his last two games, Christmas is 0-for-9 from behind the arc.

“They didn’t do anything special,” Christmas said. “They just played hard-nosed defense. They had B.J. Raymond on me. He has a large wingspan and is a great defender.”

Someone else would have to come up with a big game to keep Temple in it. Surprisingly, Sergio Olmos was the one to do it.

The 7-foot center didn’t even attempt a shot in Temple’s 74-65 win over Richmond on Saturday. He made hook shots and jumpers while scoring 10 points in the first half, which ended with Xavier ahead 38-34. Olmos and Lavoy Allen scored 18 of Temple’s first 20 points while Xavier chased Christmas around the court.

Xavier is one of the nation’s best at getting the ball inside and drawing fouls, so Temple took away the pass inside, leaving the perimeter open at times. The Musketeers took advantage by going 7-for-11 from behind the arc in the first half, with Raymond hitting four 3s.

In a one-minute span, Raymond and Redford combined on three 3s.

“They created some havoc for us in the first half,” Owls coach Fran Dunphy said. “The versatility — that’s what makes them so strong. We didn’t defend them very well. Their balance is terrific.”

Raymond hit another 3 during a 10-point run that put the Musketeers in control 52-39 with 13 minutes left. Reserve forward Jamel McLean had five rebounds, a putback and a free throw during the spurt.

Olmos and Lavoy couldn’t keep up their first-half pace, and things got grim for the Owls when Christmas picked up his fourth foul with 11:48 to go. Consecutive 3s by Redford pushed the lead to 17 points midway through the half. Temple never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.

Xavier point guard Terrell Holloway sprained his left foot during an 82-80 win over Massachusetts on Saturday, leaving his availability in doubt. He started and moved well, but was ineffective — finishing with five turnovers and was 0-for-4 from the field.

“Terrell has to play better,” Miller said. “The [foot] is fine. We’re playing in spite of him. He’s got to make better decisions. He can’t throw the ball to the other team.”

January 31, 2009 | AP Press

CINCINNATI, OH – Derrick Brown matched his career high with 23 points Saturday, and No. 10 Xavier used its balance and free-throw shooting to hold on for an 82-80 victory over Massachusetts, its 10th straight win.

B.J. Raymond added 22 points and C.J. Anderson had 19 for the Musketeers (19-2, 7-0), who remained unbeaten atop the Atlantic 10. This one was in doubt down to the final rebound. Anderson got that off Chris Lowe’s purposely missed free throw with 3 seconds left.

UMass (7-12, 2-4) set a pedal-to-the-metal pace on offense and kept it a game by forcing Xavier into a season-high 23 turnovers, but couldn’t break through in the closing minutes. Ricky Harris led the Minutemen with 17 points.

The shot clock rarely came into play in a fast-paced game of catch the ball and shoot — a pace that suits UMass but not the Musketeers. Brown, Raymond and Anderson were a combined 24-for-32 from the field, and made the biggest plays in the closing minutes.

The Minutemen stayed in the game by exploiting Xavier’s biggest weakness — a propensity for sloppy passes. UMass scored three straight baskets off turnovers early in the second half. Harris had a driving layup and a 3-pointer, and Lowe had a steal and layup that tied it at 58 with 11 minutes left.

There were three ties and six lead changes down the stretch, with neither team ahead by more than three points until the final minute. Raymond’s 3 and Anderson’s putback put Xavier ahead to stay, 78-74 with 53 seconds left.

Harris responded with a 3-pointer, then missed another one with 10 seconds to go. Raymond got the rebound and made both free throws for an 80-77 lead. Brown added two free throws.

Rather than let Lowe try to take a 3-pointer that would tie it, Xavier fouled him with 3 seconds left. He made the first and, after a timeout, missed the second, hoping UMass could get a tying putback. The ball was slapped around and Anderson came down with it.

The points piled up fast in the first half. UMass hit nine of its first 13 shots, while Xavier went 9-of-14. It didn’t take either team long to find an open shot and make it.

Xavier’s player with the can’t-miss touch temporarily took over the game.

Brown had a game this season when he didn’t miss, going 6-for-6 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line in a win over Saint Louis on Jan. 8. He made his first eight shots on Saturday, including a 3-pointer that started Xavier’s nine-point run in the first half.

His three-point play off a driving dunk made it 41-31 with 2:52 left in the half, the biggest lead of the game. Xavier shot 68 percent in the first half against one of the conference’s worst perimeter defenses.

January 28, 2009 | AP Press

CINCINNATI, OH – B.J. Raymond scored 23 points, Kenny Frease added 17 points and No. 10 Xavier beat Charlotte 69-47 on Wednesday night for its ninth straight win.

C.J. Anderson had 10 points for Xavier (18-2, 6-0 A-10), which limited the 49ers to just four field goals in the first half. The Musketeers outrebounded Charlotte 48-28.

Xavier improved to 6-0 all-time against Charlotte. The Musketeers have not lost since Dec. 23 when No. 13 Butler beat them 75-64 at Cintas Center.

Charlotte (6-13, 1-5 A-10) was led by senior Charlie Coley who scored 12 points.

It was a rough 24 hours for Charlotte, who had its initial flight into Cincinnati canceled due to Tuesday’s winter storm. The 49ers flew to Dayton late Tuesday, then endured a two-hour bus ride Wednesday on icy roads before arriving at Cintas Center just before their shoot-a-round. Under normal conditions, the drive to Cincinnati would take 45 minutes.

Charlotte missed its first six shots as the Musketeers raced to a 7-0 lead.

The 49ers attempted to rally behind senior Lamont Mack, who scored the 49ers’ first seven points.

Mack, who matched his season high of 23 points in three of the past four games, had three of Charlotte’s four field goals in the first half. He finished with 11 points.

Raymond and Dante Jackson hit consecutive 3-pointers to put Xavier ahead 18-7 with six minutes remaining in the first half.

Five straight points from Frease, including a one-handed dunk off a pass from Terrell Holloway, gave the Musketeers a 26-11 lead.

Xavier’s defense limited Charlotte to just 16.7 percent shooting (4-for-24) and forced eight turnovers in the first half.

Frease, playing his first game since being named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, matched Raymond’s 10 points lifting the Musketeers to a 31-13 halftime lead.

A 3-point play by Frease gave Xavier its largest lead, 34-14 early in the second half.

Raymond’s fourth 3-pointer put the Musketeers ahead 44-23 with 13:08 remaining.

Charlotte forward An’Juan Wilderness, who was listed as questionable Wednesday after missing five of the past six games with a stress fracture in his foot, did not play.

From the Atlantic 10 Website:

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Justin Harper – Richmond
Sophomore, Forward, 6-9, 210 lbs.
Richmond, Va./Meadowbrook HS
Harper scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed nine rebounds on Jan. 21 as Richmond earned a 78-75 win over Rhode Island in its lone contest of the week…made 10-of-15 field goal attempts, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc…added a pair of blocks.

Ahmad Nivins – Saint Joseph’s
Senior, Forward, 6-9, 235 lbs.
Jersey City, N.J./St. Anthony’s HS
Nivins earns his fifth A-10 Player of the Week award after leading the Hawks to three victories while averaging 26.3 points and 14.3 rebounds…shot 25-of-34 from the field and 29-of-33 from the line…scored a career-high 34 points and pulled down 16 boards as Saint Joseph’s edged Duquesne in overtime on Jan. 21, 99-98…has registered five consecutive double-doubles…his five A-10 honors are tied with Mardy Collins (Temple – 2005) for the fourth-highest single-season total in league history.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Kenny Frease – Xavier
Freshman, Center, 7-0, 265 lbs.
Massillion, Ohio/Perry HS
Frease scored 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting in just 16 minutes of action on Jan. 24 as Xavier’s earned an 80-70 victory at LSU…in three wins, Frease averaged 8.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 42 total minutes…made 12-of-17 shots from the field.

January 24, 2009 | AP Press

BATON ROUGE, LA — Derrick Brown scored 22 points and No. 15 Xavier handed LSU its first home loss of the season, 80-70 on Saturday night.

Marcus Thornton scored 30 for LSU, his 3-pointer giving the Tigers (15-4) a 40-36 lead early in the second half. Brown responded with a pair of 3s to tie it at 44, and Xavier (17-2) gradually built a lead as large as 11 before holding on.

B.J. Raymond added 21 points for Xavier, driving past Thornton for a layup inside the last two minutes to put the Musketeers up 70-63. Kenny Frease also had 12 points.

January 21, 2009 | AP Press

OLEAN, N.Y. — C.J. Anderson scored 15 points and Xavier (No. 13 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP), off to the second-best start in school history, beat St. Bonaventure 84-64 on Wednesday night.

Backup guard Brad Redford hit his first three 3-point attempts to spark a decisive first-half run and finished with 14 points for Xavier (16-2, 5-0 Atlantic 10). The Musketeers, who have won seven straight since losing consecutive games to Duke and Butler, are off to their best start since going 24-2 in 1989-90.

Freshman forward Andrew Nicholson scored 13 for St. Bonaventure (11-7, 2-3), which has lost four in a row at home. Maurice Thomas added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Bonnies, who have lost eight straight to the Musketeers and 13 in a row against ranked opponents.

The Musketeers improved to 17-1 against conference opponents dating to last season, and are closing in on their 13th 20-win season in 14 years, and fourth straight.

Ahead 23-20, the Musketeers took control during the final 4 minutes of the first half by outscoring the poor-shooting Bonnies 18-2. The run was capped by Terrell Holloway, who hit an open 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Xavier finally found its offensive rhythm, courtesy of a fast-paced transition game, which took advantage of St. Bonaventure missing 11 of its final 14 attempts of the half. And it wasn’t as if Xavier’s tough defense was all that dominant, because the Bonnies missed several open looks outside and shots from in close.

Xavier’s defense, which is limiting opponents to 37 percent shooting, did have its moments.

The turning point came with just under 4 minutes left in the first half when Anderson blocked Jonathan Hall’s shot from the paint, leading directly to Redford hitting a 3-pointer on the break to give Xavier a 29-20 lead. The rout was on a few minutes later when, during a 26-second span, Jason Love hit a hook shot from the paint and Dante’ Jackson a 3 in transition.

After hitting four of its first six attempts, St. Bonaventure went cold, finishing 21-of-50 from the field.

The resurgent Bonnies, who have already won their most games since 2001-02, lacked the bodies and veteran talent to keep up with the deep Musketeers. Starting point guard Malcolm Eleby got into early foul trouble and played only 10 minutes in the first half. The Bonnies were already without his backup, dependable Ray Blackburn, who missed his second consecutive game and is out indefinitely with a torn knee ligament.

January 18, 2009 | AP Press

CINCINNATI, OH – B.J. Raymond scored 16 points, hitting long shots over La Salle’s zone defense, and No. 16 Xavier relied on its offensive balance to beat the Explorers 73-53 on Sunday and remain unbeaten atop the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Xavier (15-2, 4-0) has won six in a row since a home-court loss to Butler on Dec. 23, with its freshmen blending in better as the season goes along.

La Salle (9-7, 1-2) was coming off a 68-61 win over Charlotte on Wednesday that moved the Explorers three games over .500 for the first time in two years. They never led against Xavier, which squeezed the momentum out of La Salle in the first half with its halfcourt defense.

Yves Mekongo Mbala and Rodney Green led La Salle with 15 points apiece.

Xavier showed offensive balance against La Salle’s zone defense, getting the ball inside for easy baskets and going 8-of-17 from behind the 3-point arc. Raymond went 4-of-8 from behind the arc. Derrick Brown added 15 points, slicing inside the zone defense with acrobatic moves.

The main problem for Xavier: free throws. Xavier went only 19-of-36 from the line, allowing La Salle to hang in after falling behind by 22 early in the second half.

The Musketeers set the tone defensively on the first possession of the game, forcing a shot clock violation. Ruben Guillandeaux was dribbling beyond the arc when the clock ran out.

Xavier took control with a 12-1 run in the first half that featured a four-point play by Terrell Holloway — Green slammed into him after his on-target shot from beyond the arc — and acrobatic baskets by Brown, who used his quickness to get inside La Salle’s zone defense. Brown had a putback, a turnaround bank shot and a lay-in after he drove the baseline and made a 360-degree spin move to get free.

The Musketeers led by as many as 19 in the first half and were up 39-22 at the break, matching La Salle’s lowest-scoring half of the season. The Explorers had more turnovers (10) than field goals (9) in the half.

Raymond hit a pair of 3s early in the second half that helped Xavier extend the lead to 22 points. La Salle never got closer than 12 the rest of the way.

Green, the Explorers’ leading scorer at 15.4 points per game, picked up his fourth foul with 17:42 to go.

January 15, 2009 | AP Press

KINGSTON, R.I. — Xavier (No. 16 ESPN/USA Today, No. 15 AP) hung on to avoid an upset at the hands of Rhode Island for one simple reason.

“We are a really good defensive team, that’s why we were able to win this game,” coach Sean Miller said after the Musketeers hung on for a 67-65 win Thursday night.

Derrick Brown had 12 points and eight rebounds for the Musketeers (14-2, 3-0 Atlantic 10), and C.J. Anderson had 11 points and seven rebounds.

“We were fortunate to win the game,” Miller said. “URI took us out of our rhythm.”

Xavier shot 38.9 percent from the field, its lowest since a 36.4 percentage in a 76-66 win over Cincinnati on Dec. 13.

The Musketeers, who held their last five opponents under 40 percent shooting from the floor, kept Rhode Island (11-6, 0-2) to 37.1 percent and out-rebounded the Rams 48-36.

“It’s tough to win a game like this when you are outrebounded,” said the Rams’ Jimmy Baron, who scored 19 points in Rhode Island’s first home loss this season. After finishing 0-for-7 from the field against Xavier last February, he was 7-17, including 5-11 from 3-point range.

Baron’s jumper with 3:51 to go gave the Rams their final lead of the night at 61-59, and Dante Jackson’s 3-pointer with 1:45 remaining put Xavier in front the rest of the way.

“Down the stretch it’s going to come down to a half-court game and we need to find guys in right position at the right time to score the basketball,” Baron said.

Kahiem Seawright’s jumper for Rhode Island with one minute to go in the first half sent the teams into intermission tied at 34.

Anderson’s surge put Xavier back in front 43-36.

Rhode Island regained the edge 50-48 on Delroy James’ 3-point shot from the corner with 9:54 remaining. Then Terrell Holloway hit a pair of free throws that tied it again at 50. Xavier’s biggest lead of the game at nine points came with 15:27 left in the second half.

James had 14 points for Rhode Island, and Keith Cothran added 11.

Rhode Island hasn’t beaten a nationally ranked opponent since a 70-63 win over No. 25 Utah on Dec. 2, 1998. Thursday’s loss was the Rams’ 15th consecutive defeat against ranked teams.

“We fought hard and fought long,” Rams coach Jimmy Baron said.

January 11, 2008 | AP Press

NEW YORK, NY – Xavier looked really good for a half before Fordham came up with a sensational five minutes. Then the Musketeers (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 16 AP) went back to being themselves for another easy win.

B.J. Raymond scored 18 points to lead six Xavier players in double figures in an 86-60 victory over the Rams on Sunday.

“All in all it was a good road win for our team. If there is such a thing as a hard-fought 26-point victory, this was it,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said. “We had to win twice. We got the big lead, took a punch and responded again.”

It was the fourth straight victory for Xavier (13-2, 2-0 Atlantic 10) following its only losses to Duke and Butler.

The Musketeers shot a season-best 53.8 percent from the field (28-for-52) and finished with a 45-29 rebound advantage.

Derrick Brown scored 14 points, Jason Love 13, Terrell Holloway and Brad Redford had 11 each and C.J. Anderson added 10 for the Musketeers, who have beaten Fordham five straight times and are 17-3 all-time against the Rams and 15-1 since the 1995-96 season.

“We were composed. Our young guys have to learn these things can happen, especially on the road,” Brown said. “We hit them back with a pretty good punch in the mouth.”

Alberto Estwick had 20 points for Fordham (2-12, 0-2), which has lost five straight games.

Xavier led 45-30 at halftime but the Rams had their one hot streak of the game, hitting four 3-pointers in an 18-4 run that had them within 49-48 with 15:21 to play. Estwick hit three of the 3s and Mike Moore had the other in the run that forced Miller to call two timeouts before the first media timeout of the half.

The Musketeers extended their defense and the open 3-point shots were suddenly gone.

Xavier scored 10 straight points as part of a 23-3 run that gave the Musketeers a 72-51 lead with 7:05 left.

“It does happen on the road and I told them that and it was no time to worry,” Miller relayed about what he said to the team in the two timeouts. “We didn’t panic, kept our composure. We weren’t different. We were the same team and our defense started to come around. That was an excellent performance in a brief period of time by Fordham. It shows the 3-point shot can sure turn a game quickly.”

The biggest lead was 86-57 on a three-point play by Holloway with 10 seconds to go.

“I wish we could have stopped game after 25 minutes and said we won,” Fordham coach Dereck Whittenburg said with a smile. “They have a great, great team and they showed you why. We brought the game back but we need some experience out there and have to execute and they showed you why. You make mistakes, they capitalize and it’s like a faucet running and you can’t stop it.”

Xavier’s best shooting game had been 53.5 percent (23-for-43) in an 81-74 victory over Auburn on Dec. 3.

Fordham was 3-for-16 from 3-point range in the first half and finished at 10-for-28, including the 4-for-4 start to the second half. The Rams entered the game 13th in the 14-team conference in 3-point shooting at 29.9 percent Xavier was fourth in 3-point percentage defense at 32. percent.

“They hit 10 3s and if we don’t have answers like we do that could have been enough to win a game,” Miller said.

Jio Fontan, the Atlantic 10’s leading freshman scorer with a 14.1 average finished with 10 points and 11 assists for the Rams but he was 3-for-14 from the field overall, including 0-for-7 in the second half when he committed five of his six turnovers.

Miller called Fontan as “talented as any freshman guard in the country.”

Whittenburg said Fontan was “trying to be aggressive.”

“But sometimes when the game gets in the balance you start taking quick shots and make a mistake and before you know it, you’ve gone from down one to down 10 and all of a sudden it’s 15,” Whittenburg said. “We’ll stay with it. We’re young and as lopsided as it looked, we had a chance with 15 minutes to go.”

The loss was the 46th straight to a ranked team for Fordham, which is 6-88 all-time against ranked teams. The last time the Rams beat a ranked team was Feb. 26, 1978, a 63-59 victory over No. 18 Georgetown.