Sports

Fordham defeats Georgia Tech; Gaston gets 10th double-double

There’s a reason it has been 47 years since an ACC team visited Fordham.

In front of a sellout crowd of 3,200 at Rose Hill Gym in The Bronx, Chris Gaston put up his NCAA-leading 10th double-double, with 23 points and 17 rebounds, and the Rams beat Georgia Tech, 72-66.

It was the first time an ACC opponent had come to Fordham since 1964 and the crowd was intense.

“It was a great, great win for us, for the program, for the university. This is what our vision is of what we want this program to be,” Fordham coach Tom Pecora said. “It was a great crowd for a big-time opponent playing in the gym. It’s a marquee win for us”

Georgia Tech’s first-year coach, Brian Gregory, who has experience in the Atlantic 10 from coaching Dayton (2003-11), admitted the Yellow Jackets (7-6) felt the effect the crowd had on the game.

“There is a reason why ACC teams do not come and play at Fordham,” Gregory said.

Gaston coming off a 35-point, 15-rebound performance against Texas State, notched his fifth straight double-double for the Rams (6-6).

“I was carrying it over from Texas State, just playing so hard, I’ve been working out all week just focusing on this game,” Gaston said.

Gaston used the crowd to his advantage, and several times motioned to make the modest gym sound more like a sold-out arena.

“They [the crowd] made a big impact on the game. They were basically our sixth man on the court” Gaston said. “Feeding off the energy and the crowd really got us into the game and picked us up at certain times on defense.”

Even Gregory praised Gaston’s performance.

“I’ve always liked Chris [Gaston]. This is the best game he has played in a game that I’ve coached preparing for him,” Gregory said. “He’s got a great energy about him and has great hands. He doesn’t lead the country in double-doubles out of sheer luck.”

Fordham sophomore guard Branden Frazier added in a season-high 19 points and led the Rams with six assists.

“I thought Branden Frazier had a tremendous game,” Pecora said. “He really had a good feel for it and we went on a good run when he was in there. He really did a wonderful job for us.”

Coming into the game, Fordham and Georgia Tech were ranked 33rd and 34th in the NCAA in rebounding, respectively. The Rams dominated the glass, outrebounding the Yellow Jackets, 45-30.

“[Fordham] won this game simply tonight because they scrapped us on the glass,” Gregory said. “That was the difference, that’s why they got to the free-throw line, they had 19 offensive rebounds and kept a lot of possessions alive.”

The Rams’ zone defense limited Georgia Tech’s leading scorer, Glen Rice Jr., to zero points in 19 minutes. The Yellow Jackets did shoot 40 percent (10-for-25) on 3-pointers and Jason Morris scored a team-high 17 points for Georgia Tech before fouling out after receiving a technical in the second half.

“Forty percent is a pretty good number from the 3,” Gregory said. “Twenty five is probably a lot of 3s, we should have attacked the basket a little more like Jason Morris did there at the end.”

Kervin Bristol anchored the Rams’ defense. His return to play after suffering an ankle sprain against Texas State provided Pecora with one of his biggest assets.

“The great thing about having Kervin in the back of that zone is for the most part you can keep him home,” Pecora said. “He’s athletic enough that even when he gets out to the foul line he can get back to the baseline and block shots.

“He causes a lot of problems. Even if he doesn’t block the shot he influences so many shots and forces people to miss. I’m thrilled for him.”

The Rams did not make the victory look easy at the end of the second half. The Yellow Jackets came within one point with 31 seconds remaining on a 3-pointer by Brandon Reed (16 points) following two missed free-throws by Devon McMillan and one of two by Bryan Smith.

After Bristol also hit one of two from the line to push the Rams’ lead to two, Gaston, one of the team’s older players, kept his head and hit two free-throws to extend the lead to four points with 13 seconds remaining, essentially ending the game.

“When he [McMillan] missed the first one I was like keep your head up, stay calm and relax,” Gaston said “I think that’s what the young guys need, that older brother, that person, that mentor to help them out.”

Most importantly, the Rams finished strong.

“We learned how to close out a game,” Pecora said. “We gave them a couple of opportunities to get back in it, but I’m very proud of them.”