No. 12 Massachusetts 90, Fordham 52: Chaz Williams had 18 points, eight assists and three steals as the host Minutemen used a dominant defense to rout the Rams in Atlantic 10 play.
Raphiael Putney and Trey Davis each scored 13 points for Massachusetts (17-2, 4-1), while Maxie Esho added 10 points off the bench. Davis dished out a career-best nine assists as the Minutemen had 26 assists on 33 field goals.
Chris Whitehead led Fordham (8-11, 1-5) with 13 points while Branden Frazier added 12 points and four assists. Freshman Jon Severe, the leading scorer in the Atlantic 10, finished with seven points — matching his season low — on 2-of-14 shooting from the floor, as the Rams shot 30.5 percent from the floor, including 6-of-27 from 3-point range.
It looked good early for the Rams, as they jumped out to a 7-0 lead before the Minutemen got on the board. But Massachusetts went on a 20-2 run to take control of the game and never let up, forging a 16-point halftime lead.
Any hope the Rams had was put to rest early in the second, as the Minutemen opened with a 17-0 run, holding Fordham scoreless for the first five minutes of the second half. From there it was a laugher, with the Minutemen clearing their bench when the lead reached 30, as all 11 Massachusetts players that saw playing time scored at least four points.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Fordham's Ryan Rhoomes came into the game averaging 7.7 points and eight rebounds, but finished with one point and one board, attempting just one field goal. … The Minutemen dominated the glass, 43-32, led by Esho and Tyler Bergantino, who grabbed six rebounds apiece. … Massachusetts hit 13-of-27 from beyond the arc.
Fordham | Massachusetts | |
Chris Whitehead 13 | Scoring | Chaz Williams 18 |
Branden Frazier 4 | Assists | Trey Davis 9 |
Chris Whitehead 6 | Rebounds | Tyler Bergantino 6 |
Chris Whitehead 3 | Free Throws Made | Chaz Williams 4 |
Chris Whitehead 3 | Steals | Chaz Williams 3 |
Ryan Canty 1 | Blocks | Cady Lalanne 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Fordham | 52 | 30.5 | 6-27 | 10-14 | 10 | 29 | 4 | 6 | 13 |
Massachusetts | 90 | 51.6 | 13-27 | 11-18 | 26 | 39 | 6 | 6 | 10 |