Monday marked the official beginning of the Bridgette Mitchell era at Fordham, taking the reins of Women’s Basketball with a new staff and a vastly different roster. And while it’s still too early to tell what the future holds for the program this season, we did get our first taste of basketball under coach Mitchell — and through one game, it’s hard to complain.
Women’s basketball played the opener of a Rose Hill double header that saw the season debut for both men’s and women’s hoops. The Rams kicked their season off with a matchup against Adelphi University, a Division II program, and not a particularly dominant one at that. It’s been downhill for the Seahawks following a 27-3 season in 2019, yet to post a record above .500 since. For Mitchell’s Rams, the favorable matchup provided a chance to get into a groove early and build some much needed chemistry for a squad that doesn’t have much of any legitimate playing time together.
Prior to Monday’s home opener, the Rams were dealt a series of gut punches. Fordham will have to operate without freshman Miya Giles-Jones as the exciting 6-foot guard is sidelined with an injury.
The McDonald’s All-American nominee was projected to be an impact player on the team, but instead will find her development halted with the setback. To make matters worse, junior guard Taya Davis, an exciting Juco transfer, will not be eligible for the start of the season. Suddenly, a roster that was already lacking clear offensive leadership would be down two of their most anticipated additions.
Despite these setbacks, the Fordham Rams seemed to fare just fine in their opening taste of 2023-24 action. Doing what a DI favorite is supposed to do against a DII, the Rams emerged victorious in blowout fashion, defeating Adelphi 70-43.
More important than the score is an increasingly clear picture of what brand of basketball we can expect from this year’s Rams. Coach Mitchell was pretty transparent about her vision back at her introductory press conference in the spring:
“You gotta be able to score and defend. I think that putting so much emphasis on our defense will really help us go a long way. We’re gonna be in your face.”
Fordham certainly took that defensive mindset to heart, holding Adelphi to 26.6% shooting from the field and 1-18 from beyond the arc.
It was defense that paved the way in the first quarter after a slow Fordham start. Trailing 8-5 with four minutes left in the initial frame, Fordham’s defense turned up the intensity, spurring a 16-2 run to end the quarter. The Rams would pull off something similar at the end of the third quarter, going on an 11-4 run to take an 18-point lead. Saving their best for last, Fordham held the Seahawks to just seven points in the fourth quarter, running away with a 27-point victory.
Fordham won the turnover battle as well with 11 steals. But it’s not enough to just force turnovers — you have to do something with it. After all, coaches love turning defense into offense. The Rams certainly made their coach proud, turning those 11 turnovers into 20 points on the other side. For reference, Adelphi only mustered six points off of turnovers.
It’s not a complete surprise to see Mitchell’s team come out the gate with an impressive defensive performance. She’s been stressing the importance of defense and athleticism since she was announced as head coach, and it’s reflected in the players she’s brought over. The bigger mystery lies on the offensive side of the ball. With the likes of Asiah Dingle and Anna DeWolfe out the door, there’s quite the offensive void to fill. Therein lies the million dollar question: “Who would emerge at the forefront of this offense?” For the moment, we have an idea.
Coach Mitchell used all 10 available players in her rotation on Monday, but it was a trio of transfers that stole the spotlight. The headliner was graduate student forward Emy Hayford, hailing from the University of Pittsburgh after averaging 2.1 points per game as a consistent starter. Hayford put up a career-high 18 points, posting a double digit output for just the fifth time in her five-year collegiate career. Shooting 7-16 from the field with a pair of threes and seven rebounds to boot, Hayford began her Fordham career with a red hot start, tallying nine points in the first quarter alone.
Senior Taylor Donaldson and graduate student Mandy McGurk were the other two Rams with double digit efforts, scoring 12 and 10 points respectively.
Despite an overall positive offensive outburst, this season opener may be a sign of future issues moving forward. Namely, efficiency. The Rams ended the day with a solid 40.6% from the field but struggled to hit from deep, nailing just four of 18 shots from beyond the arc. Donaldson and McGurk, expected to be two of Fordham’s best shooters this season, combined to go 2-10 from deep.
It didn’t prove to be a hindrance on Monday against a weaker opponent, but one wonders if a lack of offensive efficiency, particularly from deep, may come back to bite them, particularly when it comes time to square off against some of the elite teams in the Atlantic 10.
However, now’s not the time to get lost in hypothetical worries. There’s plenty to be excited about after a promising first game. This team certainly seems up to the task defensively, and they’ll need to be if they wish to compete with the likes of University of Rhode Island and St. Joseph’s University this year.
After four years of battling in the very difficult Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Hayford seems poised to put up solid numbers in the A-10 and might very well lead this Fordham offense. Sophomore Rose Nelson was a perfect 2-2 from the field in the first start of her collegiate career, continuing to convert at a high rate after shooting 54% as a freshman. Coming off the bench, 6-foot-4-inches senior Aminata Ly pulled down 10 boards in her Rose Hill debut and senior Maranda Nyborg added seven rebounds after missing all of last year with an injury. Thanks in large part to their efforts, Fordham out-rebounded Adelphi 55-39.
Fordham will play their first DI opponent of the season this Friday, hosting the University of Albany for a 7 p.m game. For fans who have kept up with the program in recent years, graduate student Sarah Karpell returns to Rose Hill after four years as a Ram, coming off a team-high 17-point performance in Albany’s season opener.
Fordham will see if they can carry over their intense and physical play against a more formidable opponent. “It’s a new style of play here,” noted Mitchell, “but I think it will bode for success in the league, especially once we get familiar.”
After a promising start to the season, one can only wonder what it might look like once the Rams get fully acquainted with Mitchell’s system.
