The Jasper men’s basketball team won against the Fordham Rams in Battle
of The Bronx last Friday, Nov. 15.
GRACE CARDINAL / THE QUADRANGLE
By Grace Cardinal, Editor-in-Chief
In this year’s rendition of the “Battle of The Bronx,” the Jaspers upset Fordham University 78-76.
The Jaspers came out red-hot from the tipoff, putting up an early four points for the lead. Senior guard and forward Wesley Robinson moved in for a successful layup with an assist from freshman forward Will Sydnor, while senior guard Shaquil Bender powered through for a successful driving layup, all in under the first minute of gameplay.
MU was able to get seven unanswered points on the board before the Fordham Rams guard Japhet Medor put up two points with a step back almost four minutes into gameplay, making the score 7-2 Jaspers.
Throughout the game, Fordham struggled getting clean looks but not following through. Medor put the Rams’ first three-pointer on the board more than two minutes after the Jaspers scored their first with an assist from senior guard Zach Riley, closing the point deficit to 7-5 Jaspers.
After a bit of back-and-forth, the Jaspers found their groove once again, putting another 10 points on the board before the Rams were able to respond. These plays included a layup by freshman forward Fraser Roxburgh, the first dunk of the game made by Bender, a jumper made by freshman forward Alijah Curry and another three-pointer from Roxburgh with an assist from Bender, leading the score to a 19-7 lead by the Jaspers.
The freshman players were leaders in the game, with the class putting up nearly half of the game’s points. Sydnor was a stand-out, single-handedly putting up 24 points throughout the battle.
Sydnor, who grew up in the Bronx, spoke about what it meant to win the iconic competition in his hometown.
“It meant a lot to me,” Sydnor said. “I’m from around Fordham Road, very close, more close to Fordham than I am to here. So it was a really good feeling to be able to come here and play for Manhattan, and know that we are the best team in the Bronx.”
Roxburgh, another standout in Friday night’s game, competed at a professional level previously in Australia’s NBL.
“Definitely the last year and a half, two years, from me being in the NBL, competing against grown men in the NBL in Australia, has definitely helped me physically compete in this league,” Roxburgh said.
As for what the team did to prepare for their win, Roxburgh credited the coaches and the team’s preparation work.
“Heaps of credit to the coaches, definitely,” Roxburgh said. “But also our preparation, locking in in practice, doing the right things, the trials and tribulations, learning from each other. It’s all about the mistakes and learning.”
After multiple missed opportunities by the Rams, they were able to get some points back on the board with free-throws after a foul against Bender. Their next serious shot came as a three-pointer from junior forward Romad Dean who had an assist from senior guard Jackie Johnson III. The ball was almost immediately turned over to Jaspers’ junior forward Masiah Gilyard, who soon made two more plays for the Jaspers, putting another four points on the board for an 11 point lead by the Jaspers, 23-12.
The Jaspers ended the half with a less than comfortable lead, pausing at 28-32, after the Rams were able to find their footing in the last minutes before the buzzer.
The Rams returned after halftime ready to take the lead for the first time in the game, with Johnson III scoring a three-pointer only seconds into active play.
The Jaspers did not allow a close game for long, with Sydnor swooping in with a layup to gain another two points for the Jaspers. Bender also understood the assignment at hand, driving in for another successful layup with an assist from sophomore guard Jaden Winston, giving the Jaspers a 36-31 lead.
The third minute of the second-half was action packed, with Sydnor putting another five points on the board for the Jaspers. These points were not left unanswered by the Rams this time, with freshman guard Matt Zona going in for a smooth layup.
Gilyard weaved his way in for another successful layup, regaining the Jaspers’ 11 point lead from the first half, putting the game at 46-35.
The Rams came back from their timeout ferociously, but to no avail. The Jaspers maintained their blockout of the Rams at the net.
The Jaspers’ Devin Dinkins, a redshirt sophomore guard, was integral in the second half of the game, making eight successful free throws for the team.
Head coach for the Jaspers John Gallagher described Dinkins as “differentiating” for the team’s success this season.
“He’s a differentiating guy,” Gallagher said. “He was a top 100 recruit coming out, he went to George Mason…He was the difference in the toughest piece.”
The Jaspers were able to continue maintaining a comfortable lead of at least 10 points throughout most of the second-half, until the Rams once again found their footing in the last three minutes of gameplay. Fordham went on to score 24 points in these last minutes which were riddled with fouls and free throws.
With just nine seconds left in the game, Winston sank a free throw. This was closely followed by a three-pointer from Rams’ Medor, closing the score to 76-73 with a Jaspers lead, only five seconds left in the game. Dinkins sank two final free-throw points, bringing the score to 78-73. The final play of the game was a buzzer-beater three-pointer from the Rams’ junior guard Will Richardson, which ended the game 78-76, for a narrow Jaspers win.
“This is a program win,” Gallagher said. “This can propel us into really good things through the year. Is it the end all be all? No. But for us, as we continue to move forward, you get confidence from evidence, and tonight’s an evidentiary win that we can put it together.”