By MATT ROSENFELD
SPORTS EDITOR
It is never easy to come back after a devastating loss, and that is exactly what Fordham had to do on Saturday when it hosted UMass in an Atlantic 10 battle at Rose Hill.
Just a week earlier, the Rams had been leading perennial A-10 juggernaut Dayton late in the game, only to see their veteran backcourt turn the ball over a few times and watch the opportunity for another statement win slip through their hands.
But, resiliency is one word that describes head coach Stephanie Gaitley’s Rams, and they showed it again on Saturday. Fordham showed no sign of a hangover, easily beating the Minutewomen by a score of 80-54.
Senior guard Erin Rooney, one player who was disappointed with her play late in the game against Dayton, filled up the stat sheet yet again. The New Zealand native finished the game with 22 points on eight of 14 shooting, eight assists and eight rebounds.
“She was really frustrated with how she finished the game against Dayton,” Gaitley said of Rooney. “I went up to her and said ‘Erin, we wouldn’t have been in that game without you and Abigail [Corning]. Now shake it off and understand what we have to do to win this game.’ And she was great. She said, ‘Alright, I’m ready, let’s go.’”
Neither Fordham nor UMass could get much going early in the first half. Fordham led 7-6 six minutes into the game before the scoring turned up. Fordham’s potent offense began to heat up, but UMass hung in there with the Rams, trailing by just one with nine minutes left in the first half. However, this is when the Minutewomen would fall off and the Rams would only keep getting stronger.
After UMass cut the lead to one, Fordham ripped off a 26-8 run to close the half, taking a healthy 44-25 lead.
The Rams opened the second half on a 9-0 run, putting UMass in a 27-point hole. From there, Fordham cruised, leading by as many as 33 points before finishing the game with a 26-point victory.
“It’s nice to come out nice and strong at home and protect our home court,” Rooney said. “We weren’t really happy with our last performance here, especially defensively, so that was our focus.”
Rooney certainly showed up on the defensive side of the ball. The senior guard had three steals and was a disruptive force during all 31 of her minutes on the court.
“We had a week off, so I felt a little lighter on my feet,” Rooney said of her thievery. “I was doing a little bit more. Playing all those minutes, you get a bit tired, so having that week off was good.”
Another bright spot for the Rams was graduate student Mary Nwachukwu, who logged a few extra minutes when sophomore forward Samantha Clark found herself in foul trouble in the first half. This put Fordham in a very difficult position last year, but the addition of Nwachukwu has given the Rams much-needed depth at the forward position.
The transfer from St. John’s gave Fordham eight points and five rebounds off the bench. Those numbers far surpassed her season averages of just over two points and two rebounds per game.
“I was really happy with what Mary gave us,” Gaitley said. “She gave us a great spark off the bench, both defensively and offensively. Being a senior and having been there before, being in big situations and big games, it really is great to have depth at that position.”
With the win, Fordham moves to 16-4 overall on the year and 5-2 in the A-10. The Rams currently sit third in the conference, behind Dayton and Duquesne, the two teams in the conference that have beaten Fordham.
The Rams’ next game is Wednesday, Jan. 29 at home against Rhode Island.