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Monday, January 28, 2013

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Fordham Edges Rhode island

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Fordham Edges Rhode island: --> (Photos by Gary Quintal) By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, January 28- Several Fordham freshmen rose to the occasion to thrill more ...

Fordham Edges Rhode island

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(Photos by Gary Quintal)

By Howard Goldin
BRONX, NEW YORK, January 28- Several Fordham freshmen rose to the occasion to thrill more than 3,000 fans including several dozen members of the Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame by leading the Fordham Rams (6-14, 2-3) to a close and exciting victory over the Rams of the University of Rhode Island (6-12, 1-4). Interestingly, the result of the contest was almost a copy of the January 18, 2012 game between the two teams at the Rose Hill Gym, which was won by Fordham, 66-64.
Fordham’s was missing its only double-double averaging player and senior leader, Chris Gaston, for the second consecutive game and the eighth time this season. Thus, the pressure was on the younger players to step up in a crucial game that affected Fordham’s opportunity to qualify for the Atlantic-10 Championship, which will be contested at Barclays Center in Brooklyn in mid-March.
The top 12 of the 16 teams in the Atlantic-10 will qualify for the Conference tournament. Before the contest began, Fordham and URI were tied with two other teams at 1-3 and with only one team with a worse record. Thus, a win was of importance to both teams.
The competition was intense during the game. Two players are on each squad were called for technical fouls and open physical conflict seemed near. Fordham’s coach Tom Pecora commented, “The game was very intense. I’m glad we kept our composure.”
The score was tied eight times and the lead changed hands on 16 occasions in the tight contest. Fordham took its largest lead of the game, six points, after a 10-1 scoring run mid-way through the first half. URI finished the half by outscoring Fordham 13-6 to move ahead by one point, 32-31, at the half.
URI’s greatest advantage came after 3:17 into the second half after going 8-3 over Fordham to start the second period. The score was tied at 63 as the final minute of play began. Freshman Travion Leonard netted a free throw with 38 seconds remaining in the game give Fordham the lead. Fordham’s leading scorer, Brandon Frazier sunk two from the charity stripe with six seconds left to ensure the important win.
Frazier led all scorers with 20 points, but the freshmen made crucial contributions to the victory. Leonard compiled season highs in points (13), rebounds (8) and minutes (33). Freshman Mandell Thomas had a season high in points (17, assists (5), rebounds (7) and minutes (40). Freshman Ryan Roomes grabbed his season high of 11 rebounds in 22 minutes.
At a post-game press conference, Pecora remarked, “Winning the battle of the boards, especially in the second half, was the key. Each team grabbed 18 rebounds in the first half, but Fordham dominated, 27 to 16 and 11 to 1 in offensive boards in the second half.
Fordham returns to the Rose Hill Gym on Wednesday, January 30, to face St. Joseph’s.


Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Class of 2013 Inducted into Fordham Athletic Hall ...

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Class of 2013 Inducted into Fordham Athletic Hall ...: --> (Photos by Gary Quintal) By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, January 28- The 10 newest members of the Fordham University Hall of Fam...

Class of 2013 Inducted into Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame

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(Photos by Gary Quintal)

By Howard Goldin
BRONX, NEW YORK, January 28- The 10 newest members of the Fordham University Hall of Fame were inducted on Saturday at the McGinley Center Ballroom at Fordham’s Bronx campus. The newest group of honorees was the largest since 1999 and included alumni of seven sports. Fordham President Father McShane remarked that the number of attendees for the ceremony was the largest in his 10 years as head of the university.
The inductees included three former members of the school’s basketball team. Frank McLaughlin (FCRH ’69) has been connected with the school for decades and in a variety of positions. In the late 1960’s he was a student-athlete. He captained the basketball team in the first coaching year of the legendary Ed Conlin. During the previous year, he played on the final Fordham team coached by Johnny Bach. After one year as an assistant coach at Holy Cross, McLaughlin returned to Fordham as an assistant to “Digger” Phelps in Fordham basketball’s greatest season. Their leadership led the team to a 26-3 mark and entry to the NCAA Tournament.
After that great year, Phelps and McLaughlin moved to Notre Dame. After several years with Phelps, McLaughlin took the head coaching job at Harvard, which he held for eight years. 
He returned to Fordham in 1985 as Director of Athletics and still remains at his Alma Mater. He was promoted to Executive Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreation in 1998. Last year, McLaughlin became associate VP of Student Affairs for Athletic Alumni Relations and External Affairs. His accomplishments in his years in athletic administration are too numerous to fit in the space of this article.
Wayne McGuirt (FCRH ’65) joined several of his former teammates in the Fordham HOF. He was team captain in his junior and senior seasons.
Tom Penders, a University of Connecticut grad, was head basketball coach at Fordham from 1978-86. Fordham reached the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) in five straight seasons of the eight he coached in the Bronx. His collegiate coaching career included leading his teams to 648 victories while losing only 438. He is only one of eight collegiate coaches to lead four different teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Water sports inductees included Jennifer Akerley (GSB ’01), who was a gold medalist at the Dad Vail National Championship and at the Atlantic-10 Championship in rowing, and Michelle Maguire Kennedy (FCRH ’03). Kennedy, a championship swimmer, received the Hobbs Family Award as the school’s leading female athlete in 2003.
Paul Darrigo (FCRH ’89) was a mound star at the ECAC Championship and NCAA Tournament in 1988. During that same year he was named a MAAC All-Star and All-New York State.
Matteo Cucchiara (FCRH ’65) graduated from Fordham holding the school’s indoor and outdoor mile marks. Cucchiara was able to share the news of his induction with his father shortly before the latter’s recent death. He was thankful that he was able to bring a smile to his father’s face, so near to his end.
Michael Dabney (FRCH ’54) was defeated in only one match in his four years of tennis competition in college. Dabney, the senior member of the honored class of inductees compiled an 89-1 mark at the university. He was the MVP of the tennis team in his junior and senior years. He recently celebrated his 60th wedding anniversary.
The two most recent graduates in the honored class were Sara Kinney (FCRH ’07) and Kerstin Greene (FCRH ‘07). Kinney earned A-10 Rookie of the Year honors in 2004. She graduated holding virtually every Fordham career pitching record in the school’s softball history.
Greene was the greatest female track & field performer in Fordham history. She earned the Hobbs Family Award as the top female student-athlete at Fordham in 2006 and 2007. The young woman graduated holding 14 Fordham records; she still holds nine of those marks.
Her story at Fordham displays character and ability far beyond the athletic field. The native of Germany had promised her younger brother, Sebastian, that if he was accepted at an American college, she would do her best to join him at that campus. After his acceptance by Fordham, she applied and was also accepted. To do so, she gave up her then career as a model, d.j. and singer. In addition to her studies at Fordham, she worked as a personal trainer at a gym in the Bronx as well as dedicating herself to excelling on the track & field team. Despite all these endeavors, she earned her Bachelor’s degree in only three years.
New York Yankee broadcaster and 1982 Fordham grad Michael Kay did his usual outstanding handling of the emcee duties. The dedicated Fordham alum said, “Fordham is a family. My best friends are those I went to school with.” An event later in the afternoon was proof of the truth of his words. He and his wife, Jodi Applegate, were presented with gifts for their three week old daughter, Caledonia.
The ceremony ended with remarks by Michelle Maguire Kennedy, who expressed the thanks of the 2013 class of inductees and closing words by Father McShane. To the honorees, he stated, “Thank you for being examples of integrity, character, constancy and excellence.”


Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Maritime Holds Off St. Joe’s For Third Straight Vi...

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Maritime Holds Off St. Joe’s For Third Straight Vi...: --> BRONX, NEW YORK, January 28- Sophomores T-Vaughn Gibson (Freeport, Bahamas/Sunland Baptist) and Sean Corley (Harlem, N.Y./Thurgood ...

Maritime Holds Off St. Joe’s For Third Straight Victory

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BRONX, NEW YORK, January 28- Sophomores T-Vaughn Gibson (Freeport, Bahamas/Sunland Baptist) and Sean Corley (Harlem, N.Y./Thurgood Marshall) both recorded double-doubles, as the Maritime basketball team overcame a poor shooting afternoon to rattle off its third win in a row on Saturday with a 64-50 home victory over conference-foe St. Joseph’s at the Riesenberg Hall Gymnasium.
The Privateers improve to 4-11 (3-7 Skyline) on the season, while the Golden Eagles fall to 5-13 (3-8 Skyline). The win further improves Maritime’s playoff hopes, as the three conference victories are tied for sixth place, which is the final playoff spot, with eight games remaining.
“It wasn’t the prettiest game today, but we fought through a cold shooting performance to come out with the win,” said head coach Jake Scott. “I was very pleased with our defensive effort. This has been a great week for us and we hope to continue the momentum moving forward.”
Maritime has not won three-straight games since early in the 2010-11 season and it was the first time the Privateers won three-consecutive conference games since 2009-10, when they did it on three separate occasions, including a seven-game Skyline winning streak.
Gibson led all players with 21 points and five steals and also matched the game- and team-high with 12 rebounds. Senior Ron Bethea (Harlem, N.Y./Humanities Prep.) scored 20 points and just missed a double-double with eight rebounds, while Corley notched his team-leading third double-double with 10 points and 12 boards.
The Privateers played a staunch defensive game on the afternoon, holding St. Joseph’s to just 28.1-percent (18-for-64) shooting from the field. Maritime also shot poorly, however, connecting on just 33.3-percent (20-for-60) of its shots.
Maritime was quick to jump on the Golden Eagles off the opening tip, building up an 11-0 lead in the first three minutes and expanding the advantage to 14 points, 20-6, at 9:42. St. Joe’s responded by holding the Privateers off the scoreboard for the next seven-plus minutes to cut the deficit to just seven, 20-13, at 3:01. The Eagles kept chopping away at the lead and brought it down to as little as four points, but Corley hit a fast-break layup as time ticked off to end the half and the Privateers went into the locker room with a 26-20 lead.
In the second half, both teams shot better, but Maritime jumped out to an 11-point lead, 37-26, after two good free throws by Bethea at 14:17. St. Joseph’s scored nine-straight points (including six from sophomore Will Fortune) to cut the deficit to just two points with 4:48 to play, but a 14-2 run by the Privateers killed the momentum and secured the home victory.
Junior Cody Lohsen scored a team-high 12 points and brought down nine rebounds to lead St. Joseph’s, while Fortune and junior Phil Calixte ended the night with 11 points, apiece.

Maritime is back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 29, when the squad will travel to Farmingdale St. to take on the Rams at 7 p.m. at the Nold Hall Gymnasium on their campus in Farmingdale, N.Y.




Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Taft Beats Walton

Bronx News (Bxnews.net): Taft Beats Walton: --> (Photos by Gary Quintal) BRONX, NEW YORK, January 28- A 12-0 run in the middle of the second quarter erased an 8 point deficit, han...