Fordham's Eric Paschall, Making His College Debut, Leads Rams to Convincing Win

Fordham opened its season Friday night with a convincing 94-77 win over the New York Institute of Technology in front of 1,368 at the Rose Hill Gym.

The Rams jumped out to an 11-0 lead, played spotty defense that helped allow the Bears to climb back in the game and then went on a 15-4 run to close out the first half, taking a 51-38 lead into the break. In the second half, they led by as many as 28. Fordham never trailed in this game.

Eric Paschall, the Rams' top recruit, didn't disappoint in his first college game. He had 22 points and seven rebounds in the first half and finished the game with 31 points and 10 boards, setting a Fordham record for most points scored by a freshman in his debut.

"Eric's performance tonight was a special one," Fordham head coach Tom Pecora said. 

When he wasn't knocking down three-pointers (he was 4-for-8 from beyond the arc), he was taking the ball coast-to-coast. When he wasn't posting up defenders, he was providing highlight-reel dunks that literally shook the gym.

The freshman looked like a seasoned veteran. He looked as good as advertised.

"Coaches put me in the right place and my teammates found me," Paschall said. "It gives me confidence to know that I can go out there and play and that Coach Pecora and my teammates have trust in me."

Paschall may have stolen the show—early, often and late—but he didn't do it alone.

Ryan Rhoomes chipped in with 12 points and 13 rebounds; Christian Sengfelder, a freshman, added 17 points and seven rebounds; Mandell Thomas (14 points) and Bryan Smith (11 points) also scored in double figures; Point guard Nemanja Zarkovic, another freshman, recorded six assists without a turnover.

"The game served its purpose," Pecora said. "They're a good Division II basketball team. I wanted to play a home game. I wanted us to have some success, work out the kinks with seven freshmen." 

"We have a lot to work on defensively. We have a lot to work on execution wise," Pecora added. "We found a way to win. We defended when it mattered."

The Rams were shorthanded for their opener. Jon Severe, who averaged 17.3 points per game as a freshman last season, was suspended for a week. He'll be back at practice today and is expected to play his first game Sunday.

Ryan Canty, a senior center, is out indefinitely following back surgery. There were injuries to contend with as well. Zarkovic (hip) and redshirt freshman Antwoine Anderson (groin) aren't at full strength, but both played. Manny Suarez, another redshirt freshman, who had surgery on his shoulder in July, has been practicing but did not play.

"We had so many guys dinged up," Pecora said. "Yesterday we were concerned we might go in with six scholarship players." 

Fordham has little time to enjoy this one. On Sunday, the Rams will play at Penn State, and next Thursday, they're at Maryland—back-to-back games against Big Ten teams before returning home next Sunday to face UMass Lowell.

Pecora said he'd be in early Saturday morning to watch tape of Penn State's 61-48 win over Morgan State last night.

"We'll get ready tomorrow," Pecora said. "It's a big first week for us."

Quotations in this article were obtained firsthand.

Charles Costello covers the Fordham Rams for Bleacher Report. A full archive of his articles can be found here. Twitter: @CFCostello.