Fordham 63, Princeton 60: Quotes, Takeaways & Nuggets

Ryan Canty continues to make most of newfound playing time with second straight double-double (12 points, 15 rebounds) in Fordham's 63-60 win over Princeton.  (Photo courtesy of The Boston Globe)

Fordham head coach Tom Pecora's opening statement:
"Obviously, we're a team desperate for a win.  Getting Chris (Gaston) back was a big part of it.  This is uncharted territory for me...I had never been 1-8 before.  We're not a bad 2-8 team, we're getting better every minute.  We can build off this, and I'm excited about that."

On Chris Gaston: (16 points, 5 rebounds in 32 minutes)
"He gave us good minutes."

On the Barclays Center and what it means to the program:
"This building has got to be special to Fordham, and it is, with our conference tournament being here.  We're excited about playing games here."

On Princeton:
"This was a smart Princeton team, they adjust quickly to things you can do.  They're a beautiful team to watch play.  Mitch (Henderson, Princeton's head coach) is doing a great job with them."

Branden Frazier (19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists) on his performance tonight:
"I can tell you that last four minutes where we played so hard came from practice.  I just tried to attack them as much as I could and get to the lane.  Ryan Canty bailed me out on that last one." (more on that later)

Ryan Canty (12 points, 15 rebounds) on his performance against Princeton's front line:
"I go up against Travion (Leonard) in practice all the time and he's 6-9, 250.  I missed a dunk and an easy layup, so I was just trying to make sure I made that one." (the layup that turned out to be the game-winning shot)

Nuggets of Note:
- For the second straight game, Ryan Canty picked up a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.  Also for the second straight game, Fordham enjoyed a double-digit rebounding advantage, outrebounding Princeton 39-28.

- The Rams closed the game on a 17-4 run, and Branden Frazier scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, including 13 straight before feeding Canty inside for the layup that put Fordham ahead 61-60.

- Fordham's frontcourt was very efficient from the field, shooting 13-of-24, while the Ram guards were 9-of-31.

- Fordham's transition game picked up a much-needed boost as well, scoring 15 points off eleven Princeton turnovers, while their ability to attack the glass paid off to the tune of an 11-4 advantage in second chance points.

- Finally, in his first game back from a torn meniscus suffered on November 13th against Robert Morris, Chris Gaston did not disappoint, ending the day with 16 points and five rebounds on 5-of-12 shooting.  Gaston's 32 minutes were somewhat surprising, as Tom Pecora told us earlier in the week that he was expected to see 20-25 minutes.