Richmond 70, Fordham 55: Quotes, Takeaways & Nuggets

Fordham head coach Jeff Neubauer's opening statement:
"I'm really pleased with the effort our team's given all season, starting with our seniors. We have three seniors that have been terrific, and they've been eager to learn and they've really led in so many different ways, all the way from our seniors to our freshmen. Tonight, Richmond did a lot of good things that made our lives difficult, but I'm just really pleased with what we've gotten out of our team and the way they've competed all season."

Ryan Rhoomes (18 points, 14 rebounds) on halftime message in locker room:
"We needed to go out there and play. The message is that we weren't playing as hard as we could have played, so we had to play harder."

Rhoomes on this season:
"I wish I had three more years like this. I give all the praise and all the credit to Coach Neubauer, (assistant) Coach (Rodney) Crawford, and my teammates for helping to make me the player that I am right now."

Joseph Chartouny (19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists) on Richmond:
"I think they just played hard, just gave more effort than us, and they didn't turn over the ball like we did. They just finished every play they made instead of us missing layups and shots, they just almost made everything. They did a good job with that."

Rhoomes on Richmond:
"They did a good job denying me the ball in the first half, not letting me get any touches. I had a hard time scoring, and the second half, they probably had a hard time handling me and my teammates. They went out there and did what they had to do, and I give them credit. They're a good team, they beat us three times this year."

On the second half:
"We just made more of an effort to give me the ball. My team made more of an effort getting me the ball, and I got a lot of offensive rebounds as you can see. Coach Neubauer wanted me to go out there and get every rebound I can, specifically in this game, and do what I needed to do to help my teammates."

On his second half performance lighting a fire under his teammates:
"I think it lifted us up a lot because I play with a lot of passion, and when they see that a senior, a guy like me, is out there giving a lot of passion and trying to pump up the team and the crowd, it helps out a lot."

On playing at Barclays Center:
"I mean, it's fun. Obviously, I'm from New York. It's fun to play here in New York, but it's even better to win. If you get a win, it obviously feels a little better, but it's fun playing in front of my home crowd."

Neubauer on the prospect of postseason play:
"I think it would be a good step for Fordham at this point, and that's something that we'll play out here over the next few days. Our team is giving great effort, and they've really played together and gotten better. There's certain times, I think, when you have a team that has a winning record, that you're not interested in continuing to play, but our group is so close; and they're so excited about basketball, that I do think it would be a good idea."

On not being able to sustain a run down the stretch:
"It certainly did feel like that, so I think that's a fair analysis. The biggest thing Richmond did, they're not a pressing team, but we've had so much trouble this year dribbling and catching; and Chris (Mooney) is a terrific coach, so they pressed us. It really gave us trouble."

On Richmond's Khwan Fore:
"Khwan Fore is just a terrific athlete, and he plays really hard. The fact that he can guard the ball so well, and I've learned so much about guarding the ball one-on-one and what that means over the last four years, Khwan Fore can really guard the ball. That affects the offense when you've got one guy that's just athletic enough to dominate a dribbler."
Nuggets of Note:
- Fordham's No. 8 seed was the highest the Rams have earned in the Atlantic 10 tournament since 2007, when a fifth-seeded Fordham team reached the quarterfinals that year.

- After taking an early lead in the opening minutes, the Rams were done in by a sensational shooting display from Richmond that echoed back to the Spiders' 93-82 victory at Rose Hill Gym on January 10, when Marshall Wood; who did not play in this game due to undergoing concussion protocol, shot Richmond back into the contest with an unconscious display from three-point range. Today, the Spiders shot 16-for-25 in the first half, good enough for a 64 percent clip, and held Fordham to just eight field goals in the opening stanza.

- Joseph Chartouny alluded to turnovers in the postgame press conference, and Fordham's 14 miscues added up to 21 Richmond points. On the other side of the coin, the Spiders committed only nine miscues, and Fordham was only able to translate them into six points.

- With the win, Richmond advances to the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament, where they will meet Dayton on Friday at noon. In the only meeting between the two schools, the Spiders gave the top-seeded Flyers all they could handle on March 1 at the Robins Center before narrowly dropping an 85-84 decision.

- Finally, at 17-13 on the season, and with a respectable enough record to merit consideration for one of the three secondary postseason tournaments, Fordham remains very much in the mix for a bid to either the College Basketball Invitational, CollegeInsider.com Tournament, or the inaugural Vegas 16. Athletic director David Roach echoed the sentiment shared by Neubauer in the press conference, admitting that it would be a favorable idea for the program and its players to continue what has been a resurgence in the Bronx. Rumors had circulated that Fordham would be hosting a postseason game of some variety next week, but as of this moment, nothing is etched in stone.