Even in the intimate setting of Rose Hill Gym, you couldn’t hear a sound.
Chris Gaston picked up a technical foul midway through the first half, his third personal, and Fordham’s best player would have to watch the next nine minutes of action from the bench, with his team already trailing by six. So, without their big man, the Rams relied on their perimeter play, with senior Brenton Butler and junior Alberto Estwick sparking a 9-0 run which gave Fordham a lead it would never relinquish, defeating rival Manhattan last night, 76-59, in their 103rd meeting.
“As soon as Chris came out of the game, I just saw it as an opportunity to help the team get ahead,” Estwick said. “I just tried to do whatever I could to help the team stay focused.”
Butler added, “Chris is one of our go-to’s, so seeing that he was in foul trouble, the rest of us just had to step up in general and I think we did a pretty job of it.”
Fordham (4-4) has won two straight games, and three out of four, doubling its win total from last season, while Manhattan (2-7) suffered its seventh consecutive loss. Butler finished with a game-high 21 points and was named the MVP of the rivalry game for the second time, while Estwick finished with 14 points, five rebounds and three assists.
“The history of this game and how far it goes back and how many generations it covers, to be a part of it is special,” Fordham coach Tom Pecora said. “You’re a part of history just by playing in the game and you make history by winning the game.”
The Battle of The Bronx began with blends of boring, bland and brutal, but the borough’s better team picked up the pace and emerged behind bigger bodies and a more-balanced offensive attack.Coming into the game leading the team in scoring and third in the nation in rebounds, Gaston was limited to 13 points and eight rebounds in limited minutes, but Kervin Bristol filled the void with 11 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks.
Led by freshman Michael Alvarado’s 19 points, Manhattan had several early leads in the first half, but its 33.3 percent shooting from the field prevented any chance to beat the Rams for the third straight time.
“We hurt ourselves not being able to make enough shots from anywhere,” Manhattan coach Barry Rohrssen said. “We just couldn’t connect. We had one stretch of the game where we had five, six, seven stops in a row and we just couldn’t make a bucket.”