By Ryan Lazo
BRONX, N.Y. — The old coaching adage is you learn to win by leaning on past experiences, but for a Fordham squad with 11 underclassmen on a 14-man roster, experience is tough to come by.
But in senior Chris Gaston and junior Branden Frazier, the Rams found enough experience to dispatch the Siena Saints, 81-75, at Rose Hill Gym.
“We’re trying to get young guys to realize that they have to play hard on every possession,” Fordham coach Tom Pecora said of his team’s effort in the second half. “This is why we won right here, our veterans stepped up.”
And perhaps no veteran is more important to the Rams’ (3-9) success than Gaston. The 6-foot-8 senior forward missed six games due to a knee injury, but since his return, Fordham has won two of three games.
Facing a team that ranked second in the MAAC conference in field goal defense, holding opponents to just 39.4 percent from the field, the Rams attacked Siena.
The Saints’ (2-10) vaunted 2-3 zone has harassed opponents all season, but Gaston quickly became their kryptonite, scoring eight of the Rams’ first 14 points.
And Gaston continued to put on an exhibition for the 2,268 fans in attendance, utilizing all the moves in his arsenal. The preseason All Atlantic 10 First-Team member displayed his post moves, elbow jump-shots and a deft-touch around the rim.
“I looked at the film and I thought they struggled against ball-screen coverage,” Siena coach Mitch Buonaguro said of his defense against Fordham. “But I also didn’t plan on Gaston hitting every shot.”
Contrary to Buonaguro’s belief, Gaston did not hit every shot, but he did lead all scorers with 25 points on 11-for-17 shooting.
The senior was all over the court in a game that he recorded his 1,500-point for ninth all-time in Fordham history to go along with three assists and eight rebounds.
But following a first half where he scored 20 of his 25 points, Siena began to key in on Gaston, rendering him non-existent. Boosted by the play of their defense and their suddenly revitalized offense, the Saints marched out to a 11-3 run to begin the second half.
However, Fordham’s other leader, their leading scorer at 16.5 points per game, was ready for the task.
“When Chris is getting doubled, it’s my time to pick it up,” Frazier said after his 20-point performance on 5-for-8 shooting. “I was able to get some baskets at the end and hit my free throws to ice it at the end.”
While each one of Frazier’s 20 points were critical to Fordham’s victory, it was his court vision that helped them out to their largest halftime lead this season. The junior guard surveyed the 2-3 zone of Siena and made the right reads en route to a 10 assist afternoon to complete a double-double.
“Basically I was telling Chris to go to the elbow,” Frazier said. “That was the smartest pass I could make. And the other ones came off instincts. I just felt like I was getting the guys open and getting them to the right spots.”
Instincts is something even a great basketball coach cannot teach.
The team either has them or doesn’t. It’s why Pecora believes his team’s success lies on the shoulders of his two leaders.
“The young guys don’t know what their doing yet, so these guys have so much responsibility and so much to do,” Pecora said of Gaston and Frazier. “We need leadership from Branden and Chris and I think they’ve done a really good job.”
Following the lead of the upperclassmen, the Rams played their best offensive game of the season. They shot 58.5 percent from the field, including 46.7 percent from 3-point range, a large step up from the 14th ranked offense in the Atlantic 10.
The offense was bolstered by the impact of Bryan Smith who took advantage of any daylight he had, dropping in 15 points on 6-for-10 shooting. But he was not alone, seven different Rams’ players cracked the score sheet on an afternoon where they shared the ball as if they were playing hot potato.
However, it’s painfully obvious that these Rams look a lot more formidable with Gaston on the court, a point that did not escape Siena’s coach.
“Fordham is a different team with Gaston,” Buonaguro said after the game. “He’s a major league player. They got some good players and I expect them to win some games, especially with Gaston.”
Like a book cover, Fordham’s ghastly record can be deceiving. Young teams struggle with consistency and the Rams are no exception. But with a player of Gaston’s take-over ability on the court, just like a good plot in a book, these Rams can surprise those who take them at face value.
Ryan Lazo can be reached on Twitter @RMLazo13
Good to see Gaston back on the court. He can be automatic when he gets touches. Looks like Tom Pecora and Fordham have found a ballhandler in Frazier. Now if they can start making some headway.
Nice run to get back in the game by Siena, but they beat themselves late. Brookins forced a couple plays late in the game.
And the more impressive part about Gaston is that he’s expanded his game. He now shoot those mid-range jumpers unlike in previous seasons. Frazier is normally careless with the ball, but he really restrained himself. He didn’t go outside of his game, made the right reads and did not force up shots.
Siena is a team that is better than their 2-10 record. Their defense has been stout all season, but the offense has lagged behind. It’s a young team that will only continue to improve
Almost forgot – the block by Mandell Thomas? #WOW