City of Basketball Love

Will Slover (@WillSlover31)
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Fordham topped La Salle 56-53 in a back and forth affair on Wednesday night at Tom Gola Arena in Philadelphia.

At First...
In a first half that La Salle never trailed in, guard Cleon Roberts led the scoring charge for the Explorers with seven points while Jordan Price and Tony Washington also chipped in with five a piece. Fordham was led by stretch big man Chris Sengfelder, who was the only player with double digits at the half as he had 10 points but also saw his team trailing 27-22 heading into halftime.

Turning Point…
Fordham turned a 27-22 halftime deficit into a 38-32 lead by way of a 16-5 run to kick off the second half. Their run was highlighted by 5 points from Joseph Chartouny. La Salle then used a 14-1 run of their own to swing a 10-point Fordham lead to a three point lead in their favor. Fordham then took the lead for good on a Chartouny basket with two minutes remaining and held on until the end.

Shining Stars…
Cleon Roberts and Jordan Price both finished with 13 points and led the way for La Salle.

Chris Sengfelder scored a game-high 16 points for Fordham and also added in eight rebounds and three blocks.

Noteworthy Numbers…
3: There were only three lead changes in the entire game, but two of them came in the final four minutes as La Salle took a lead with 4:01 remaining and Fordham took control for good at the two minute mark.

Up Next…
La Salle (6-20, 2-13 Atlantic 10) vs. George Mason (Feb. 27, 2 PM)
Fordham (14-12, 5-10 Atlantic 10) vs. Davidson (Feb. 27, 2 PM)