With the Buff and Blue riding high following a win in the Revolutionary Rivalry, a goliath conference win against Dayton, and an OT thriller against St. Joe’s, Chris Caputo and Co were looking to leave the Bronx with a conference win that would cement GW with the top teams in the A-10.
While the momentum looked as if it had rolled into yet another visiting arena, the Fordham Rams 17-4 (5-3 A-10) were able to stymie a high-paced GW offense to outscore the Buff and Blue by 19 points in the second half, giving GW an 85-70 loss in the Bronx.
George Washington came out firing, looking like a continuation of their previous three wins. James Bishop, who came into the game sixth in the NCAA in scoring with 22 PPG, continued to show his impressive and improved passing ability. His play was highlighted with a beautiful bounce pass to Hunter Dean, who slammed it home, drawing a foul in the process. Throughout the half, GW continued their high pace play, as their tempo ranked second in the A-10 coming into the game, according to the KenPom metrics.
The first half felt as if everyone was involved, as six of the eight scholarship players scored for GW. Maximus Edwards, who was making his return to the borough in which he played high school basketball, nailed the first shot he took, a contested jumper that was ruled a two as his foot was on the three-point line.
Along with Edwards nailing his first shot, graduate guard Brendan Adams continued his strong play, highlighted by an NBA range three-pointer, which was one of the three he hit out of eight attempts. Shortly after the long three, Adams tweaked his ankle and was limping. He briefly left the game to be tended to by the athletic training staff but shortly returned. Back on the court, Adams did not look the same, and this was likely a sign of what was to come.
GW took a nine-point lead following a Bishop layup that led head coach Keith Urgo to take a timeout for the Rams. The timeout surely was a worthy one, with the Rams going on a 5-0 run to end the half featuring a Khalid Moore slam following a Ricky Lindo turnover. This run would propel Fordham to a monster second half.
“I think the way they played, the number of bodies they could throw at you. Very difficult for our team. I thought we did a great job for a half…they wore us down,” Caputo said postgame.
Throwing bodies was exactly the adjustment that fellow first-year head coach Urgo made as both Bishop and Adams had to deal with full-court pressure, and Bishop was doubled almost every time up the court.
Coming out of halftime, Fordham upped this defensive pressure, which completely turned the tide of the game. As Fordham was looking to storm back in the game, Bishop nailed a midrange jumper and shushed the rowdy Rams student section. Unfortunately for Bishop and crew, that was the last thing to silence the crowd about.
The Rams went after Bishop (15 PTS, 6 AST, 8 TO) as he was trapped and forced turnovers on two consecutive plays, leading to a Fordham run. The Rams’ offense was headlined by graduate forward Moore, who finished the game with 30 points and eight rebounds.
Fordham had no problem leaving Lindo wide open in the corner for a three, as he attempted four of them but only converted on one. The missed threes for Lindo were costly, leading to a 7-0 Fordham run, which gave them a seven-point lead. A lead that would not be relinquished.
“We’re fine. Just keep it moving, we learn, go back to preparation, go back to the way you’re doing things, and it’s a road loss in league play. For the eighth game we’ve led at half in the league, we’re fine,” said Caputo postgame.
This stat, mentioned by Caputo, shows the competitiveness of the team, as they have led at halftime in all eight conference games so far. Injuries, which GW is riddled with, as Daniel Nixon, Keegan Harvey, and EJ Clark are out for extended periods of time.
“Their effort to shut our guys out was good, and we’re limited, ” Caputo mentioned.
Here are some interesting statistical nuggets about the two most important players on the team, Brendan Adams and James Bishop:
- GW is:
- 4-5 when James Bishop scores under 20 points
- 5-1 when James Bishop has at least seven assists
- 9-4 when Brendan Adams makes at least three free throws
- 8-2 when Brendan Adams has at least five rebounds
GW certainly exerts maximum effort, and the team will look to recover in their next conference tilt. The Buff and Blue will take on La Salle in Philadelphia on Wednesday, February 1, at 7 p.m. That game will air on WRGW and ESPN +.
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