Nov. 10, 2006

Final Stats

BRONX, NY - The Sacred Heart University men's basketball team converted just 17 of 29 from the free throw line and it came back to bite them as they fell at Fordham University 70-68 in the season opener on Friday night.

Sacred Heart jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead and extended that to 14-6. The other break the Pioneers got was getting two quick fouls on Fordham big man Bryant Dunston, forcing him to spend most of the half on the bench.

A three by Tavio Hobson (Seattle, WA) with 6:30 left in the half gave the Pioneers the lead back at 23-20, but Sacred Heart came unraveled over the next three minutes and Fordham took control. A Chris Bethel layup followed by a Butler three with 4:52 left gave the Rams their first lead at 25-23. After another Pioneer turnover, Kevin Anderson was fouled and banged home both free throws to extend the advantage to 27-23. The 12th SHU turnover of the half resulted in a Binnns layup with 2:20 left and Fordham had its biggest lead at 29-23.

Freshman Chauncey Hardy (Middletown, CT) was fouled with 1:26 left and made one of two to stop the bleeding. Stout made a runner with :55 left to put the Rams up 31-24. Jarrid Frye, who had missed his first four free throws, was fouled his next time down and made both to cut the gap to 31-26 with :42 left in the half. The Pioneers shot just 6-14 from the line in the first half.

Greene grabbed an offensive rebound on a Stout miss with :06 left and put it back and and was fouled by Luke Granato (Rocky Hill, CT). He completed the three-point play to put his team up eight. Granato made up for it by canning a trey at the buzzer to send the Pioneers to the locker room down 34-29.

Fordham scored the first seven points of the second half to extend the lead to 41-29. Ryon Howard (Bronx, NY) got the Pioneers on the board with a jumper with 16:45 left. A Granato three with 14:40 left cut the gap to 43-36. After a Fordham turnover, Frye banged a three at the other end and was fouled, getting the chance for a rare four-point play. Frye made the try to cut the lead to 43-40 with 14:15 to play.

Granato fouled out of the game with 13:01 remaining when fouled Bethel on a drive to the basket. Bethel made the layup and free throw to make it 46-41. Ryan Litke answered with his first collegiate three to make it a two-point game.

Hardy was fouled and canned both free throws with 11:48 left and SHU had it within a point at 48-47. A steal and a bucket by Hobson with 10:00 to play gave the Pioneers the lead back at 51-50. A free throw by Sebastian Greene with 9:23 to go tied the game at 51-51. When the second shot went awry, Hardy was called for a foul to send Greene back to the line where he made one of two again, but the Rams had a 52-51 lead.

A Hobson jumper with 7:35 left continued the lead see-saw, and Dunston answered with a hook in the lane for Fordham. A three by Howard with 5:00 to go gave the Pioneers a two-point lead, but Greene answered for the Rams to tie it at 59-59.

A trey by Dominic Osei with 4:00 left put Fordham up 62-60. Frye drove the lane for a layup with 3:20 left to tie the score once again. Bethel was fouled by Frye with 2:55 to go and hit both free throws to put the Rams back on top. Frye was fouled with 2:29 to go and made both to tie it at 64-64.

A Bethel layup put Fordham up 66-64 and Frye was called for an offensive foul on the next Pioneer possession. Dunston was fouled at the other end by Howard and made both to put the Rams up four. Hobson missed a Pioneer layup next time down and the Rams tried to take air out of the basketball. Hardy fouled Anderson with 1:06 to go. He converted one of two to make it 69-64.

A Howard layup with :55 left gave the Pioneers hope. The Pioneers put on the press but Fordham got it over half court. They took the clock down to :21 but turned the basketball over. Hardy hit a runner going to the hoop to cut it to 69-68. Dunston was hacked when the ball came in and made one of two. Hobson drove to the basket and lost the handle on the ball. It went out of bounds with one second left and Fordham escaped with the win.