For struggling teams, a bye week can be a welcome respite. That certainly felt like the case for Fordham Women’s Basketball, carrying a four-game losing streak into its week off. With the Rams’ offense failing to reach 50 points in their previous two games, the break provided a chance to reset and come back strong.
For the time being, it seems like the Rams have taken advantage of that break, picking up their second conference win and climbing out of the gutter in the Atlantic 10, thanks to a rejuvenated offense.
Fordham returned to Rose Hill on Wednesday to take on Loyola Chicago University following six straight off days. Despite a hot 11-3 start and a four-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the Rams fell 73-64 in a back-and-forth affair.
Uncharacteristically, for this Fordham team, it was the defense that hurt them late. The Ramblers got themselves to the line 13 times in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Rams 28-15 to hand Fordham its fifth straight loss. The 28 points are the second most points the Rams have allowed in a single quarter this season, shy of only a 29-point second quarter against Duquesne University.
On the bright side, the Fordham offense enjoyed a much needed bounce back game, crossing the 60-point threshold for just the second time since Dec. 21. Senior guard Taylor Donaldson proved that her last two games were just a blip on the radar, returning to form with a game-high 22 points. The star of the show, however, was graduate student forward Kailah Harris, who tallied a career high 12 points on perfect 4-4 shooting in her finest game as a Ram.
The Rams remained in the Bronx for a Saturday matchup against George Washington University, earning their second conference win in a 60-55 victory.
Fordham once again enjoyed a halftime lead, thanks in large part to a wild sequence that saw the Rams score six points in the span of 13 seconds. Harris knocked down a shot inside and converted the and-one, quickly followed by a last second three from graduate student Emy Hayford after senior Matilda Flood forced a turnover.
Taking a seven-point lead into the second half, the Rams would extend it to 11 early in the third quarter with a pair of Hayford free throws. GW, however, did just enough to hang around and trailed by eight going into the fourth.
For three quarters, Fordham had managed to subdue sophomore Nya Robertson, holding the A-10’s fourth-leading scorer at 16.1 PPG to just eight points. But sometimes one quarter is all it takes. Robertson awoke in the fourth to lead the Colonials’ comeback effort, scoring 11 points in GW’s 14-4 run and sinking a layup to cut the Fordham lead to one with 1:51 to play.
The Rams bent but did not break, withstanding the comeback charge as Harris, Hayford and Donaldson sank clutch free throws in the final two minutes to secure a five-point victory.
“I’m so proud of my team,” remarked head coach Bridgette Mitchell following the win. “We showed that we can focus, that we can finish out games.”
Finishing out games has been a key talking point for Fordham all season long and one that’s proven difficult to achieve. Even beyond the recent fourth quarter collapse against Loyola Chicago earlier in the week, the Rams have struggled to eke out wins in tight games. Thinking back to their one score losses against teams like Virginia Commonwealth University, Duquesne University and Fairfield University, Fordham struggled to come up with the necessary baskets in the final minutes. That was not the case on Saturday, and it was a relieving turn of the tide for Mitchell and her team.
In a similar light, it was refreshing to see the defense hold strong late, particularly after allowing 28 points in the fourth quarter on Wednesday. Robertson’s explosive frame was no doubt a spark for the Colonials, but she’s proven to be a formidable opponent in her young collegiate career, leading GW to an upset win over Fordham last year with 23 points. It’s hard to subdue the elite players for entire games, and holding her to eight points over three quarters is no small feat.
Offensively, Hayford continues to flourish, leading the Rams’ offensive charge with 18 points, accompanied by 16 from Donaldson. Hayford reached double figures in her last seven games, and ever since her career-high 23 points against the University of Rhode Island, she’s averaging 18.0 PPG. Even more tantalizing is the prospect of Hayford and Donaldson clicking at the same time. While they’ve had games like this before, we’ve yet to really see them score consistently at the same time. Throughout the season, they’ve both established themselves as highly capable scorers and two of the best playmakers on the squad. If they can stay in a rhythm simultaneously, it would relieve a lot of the issues that have been plaguing the Fordham offense on this recent stretch.
With the win, the Rams improve to 2-7 in conference, climbing out of last place in the A-10 as they leap ahead of GW, St. Bonaventure University and the University of Massachusetts. There’s still plenty of work left ahead when it comes to mounting a legitimate expedition up the standings, but for the time being, it feels like some concrete momentum is forming. Unfortunately, the schedule is about to get very difficult in the coming week.
Fordham hits the road to take on George Mason University and Richmond University, two of the premier teams in the A-10 this season. George Mason has lost just three games this season and is riding a six-game win streak that has put them third in the conference. Meanwhile, Richmond is second in the A-10 with an 8-1 conference record and 18-4 overall. Per the NCAA net rankings, they are first and third in the conference respectively. If that weren’t bad enough, the Rams will be in Virginia for both games. With an 0-8 road record so far, the odds are stacked against Fordham this week.
The 7-13 Fordham Rams will take on George Mason on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before a 6 p.m. matchup against Richmond on Saturday.
