Clifton Moore scores career-high 26 points, but La Salle falls to Fordham in Atlantic 10 opener
Moore was the star of the game, but the Explorers couldn't match the Rams.
Coach Ashley Howard of La Salle urges his team on against Fordham during the 2nd half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
by Siobahn Nolan, For The Inquirer
Published
La Salle went head-to-head with Fordham in a scrappy game to open Atlantic 10 Conference play and close out 2021.
Forward Clifton Moore was the undisputed star for the Explorers, scoring a career-high 26 points in a 69-61 loss to the Rams on Thursday at Tom Gola Arena. The home team was without Sherif Kenney, who announced Tuesday that he was entering the transfer portal, along with Christian Ray.
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Kyle Neptune, left, of Fordham and Ashley Howard of La Salle greet each other before the game on Dec. 30, 2021. Both are former assistant coaches at Villanova.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Josh Nickleberry, bottom, of La Salle and Antonio Daye of Fordham go after a loose ball during the 2nd half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Khalil Brantley of La Salle goes up for a shot against Abdou Tsimbila of Fordham during the 2nd half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Khalil Brantley, right, of La Salle is surrounded by Fordham defenders including Christian Ray, left, during the 2nd half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Antonio Daye, bottom, of Fordham loses the ball in front of Clifton Moore of La Salle during the 1st half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Clifton Moore, right, of La Salle shoots over Kyle Rose of Fordham during the 1st half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Former Villanova assistant coach Kyle Neptune now is the head coach of Fordham. He directs he team against La Salle during the 1st half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Coach Kyle Neptune of Fordham directs his team against La Salle during the 2nd half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Coach Ashley Howard of La Salle urges his team on against Fordham during the 2nd half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Khalil Brantly, left, of La Salle drives against Antonio Daye of Fordham during the 1st half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Josh Nickleberry of La Salle gazes up for the official's call after a scramble for a loose ball against Fordham during the 2nd half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Khalil Brantley, left, of La Salle as he tries to steal the ball from Antonio Daye of Fordham late in the game on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
The Fordham bench reacts to a 3-pointer by Josh Colon-Navarro, left, during the 2nd half against La Salle on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Josh Colon-Navarro, left, and Kam'ron Cunningham of Fordham celebrate on the bench after a 3-pointer during the 2nd half on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
L-R: Heacd Coach Ashley Howard, Matt McFarlane, and assistant coach Pat Chambers of La Salle react after LaSalle turned the ball over on one of their final possessions in their 69-61 loss to Fordham on Dec. 30, 2021.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
Kyle Neptune, right, of Fordham and Ashley Howard of La Salle greet each other after the game on Dec. 30, 2021. Both are former assistant coaches at Villanova. Howard said after the game, that he hated to lose to him, but he is like a brother.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer
But this game was about Moore,. a calm and collected presence on the court. The Ambler, Pa., native has been a standout both offensively and defensively. Coach Ashley Howard said Moore was “exhausted” and “gasping for air” at times during the game. Howard said he had to take Moore out to rest him, attributing his and the team’s tiredness to their lack of game conditioning since their matchup against Drexel was postponed due to COVID within the Dragons’ program.
However, Howard stated, “Cliff is a talent. … Today, we were able to take advantage of him in certain situations. He’s a great kid, hard worker, and he’ll just keep getting better. I hope he can use an individual performance like this to give himself some confidence as we continue to move forward in league play.”
Moore’s career-high easily eclipsed his previous of 15 points against Army.
The Explorers put up a good fight, but felt the absences of Anwar Gill, who injured an ankle early in the game, Kenney and Ray.
“Not having Anwar was significant,” Howard said. “He’s our utility guy, he does everything. He keeps us connected, him and [Christian Ray] keep us connected. Not having [Gill] was huge. I thought we played well enough to win the game, but now I’m looking at lineups with Matt MacFarlane, who hasn’t played a lot, Khalil Brantley, who got some minutes. These are valuable minutes that these guys can learn from, but we definitely missed [Ray] and [Gill] out there today. ”
