Fordham was not ready for its first taste of overtime this season.
The Rams squandered a four-point lead with under 90 seconds to play, allowing Dayton to send the game into overtime, and the Flyers edged the Rams, 72-70, yesterday in The Bronx.
Forward Chris Johnson had a season-high 22 points and 13 rebounds and scored the first five points of the extra period for Dayton (15-9, 5-5 Atlantic 10).
Fordham (9-14, 2-8), led by Chris Gaston’s 23 points, got within two on a pair of free throws from Bryan Smith with 53 seconds left in overtime.
Rams coach Tom Pecora, said his inexperienced team may not have been mentally ready for the overtime.
“Once we got to overtime, I had great concerns,” Pecora said. “[The Flyers] are a veteran team. They are playing with juniors and seniors on the floor and we’re playing with some young guys and generally that’s the difference in close games down the stretch.”
Devon McMillan, who had 16 points, opened overtime with a 3-pointer that gave Fordham a 66-63 lead before Johnson answered with a trey of his own.
“We weren’t able to handle [Johnson],” Pecora said. “The kid’s a big time athlete and we did not do our job putting a body on him.”
Johnson pulled down a rebound with 3.5 seconds left in the game but was whistled for traveling, giving Fordham one last shot to win it. Senior guard Alberto Estwick inbounded the ball underneath the Rams’ basket but turned it over after the referees did not whistle what appeared to be a kicked-ball violation.
Pecora wasn’t about to blame the loss on an possible blown call.
“I didn’t see [the violation],” Pecora said. “I had a senior inbounding the ball for a reason. But it doesn’t come down to last plays.”
Pecora said he was not happy with his team’s play in closing moments of regulation. The Rams had a chance to win the game, but McMillan’s floater clanged off the rim as time expired.
“We had a couple of passive moves the last minute and a half of regulation,” Pecora said. “I mean turn and attack the rim and go to the foul line, [We were] in the double bonus and maybe ice the game.”
McMillan opened overtime with a 3-poiner that gave Fordham an early 66-63 lead before Johnson answered with a three of his own to tie the game up once again.
The Rams contained the Flyers for the majority of the first half, holding Dayton to 10-of-31 shooting. Fordham led until a Ralph Hill 3-pointer at the buzzer sent the Rams into the locker room down, 32-31.
Fordham’s frontcourt, led by Gaston and Kervin Bristol (11 points, 15 rebounds), outplayed the Flyers’ two tallest players, limiting Matt Kavanaugh and Luke Fabrizius to two field goals and nine points in 49 combined minutes.
“Kervin Bristol was a force, getting a double-double,” Pecora said “He’s got to be first-team all-defensive player in this conference.”
As well as Gaston and Bristol played, Fordham’s guards struggled for the second straight game. McMillan, Bryan Smith and Branden Frazier shot a combined 10-for-36.
“Our young guys, Branden, [McMillan], Bryan Smith, they struggle at times to execute late in games and coming out of time outs, but that’s their learning curve,” Pecora said.
Pecora said McMillan and Frazier weren’t expected to play, because the two guards were battling the flu. Pecora even burned a timeout when McMillan appeared winded at the end of regulation.
“I needed a timeout, coach called me a timeout and I got my rest in,” McMillan said. “I was just tired out there, I was sick.”
The Rams still are waiting for a game where the entire team performs at a top-notch level.
“We need a game where everyone plays their A-game,” Pecora said. “I’m not happy about losing games.”