It was a long Thanksgiving holiday week for the Fordham University Rams. As they enter the holiday season, they will begin preparing for Atlantic 10 (A-10) play. Last year, this team went into conference play with a 6-5 record and a two-game losing streak. This time around, it’s very different, as they are coming off a three-game winning streak and a 6-3 record.
Before that winning streak began, the Rams traveled to New Jersey and played one of their toughest games of the early season. It ended in a 90-83 loss in double overtime against the Seton Hall University Pirates, setting the Rams back to an even .500 record.
Despite junior Alexis Black tallying a program record 42 points, Fordham was unable to come away with their first road victory. Black knocked down seven triples, which tied the fifth most in a single game in program history. Junior Ugne Sirtautaite recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
The Rams then traveled back home to play in the Battle of the Bronx against Manhattan University. The Rams got back on track with a nail-biting 65-62 win over the Jaspers. It was Fordham’s first win over Manhattan since 2022.
Black had herself another stellar performance, putting up 20 points, seven assists, four rebounds and four steals. Sirtautaite reached double digits again with 11 points from the bench. Graduate student forward Ornella Niankan scored 10 points and gathered in eight rebounds. Fordham’s defense was a key part of the game, forcing 22 turnovers, which led to 20 points on those opportunities.
Fordham then took a trip up north to Niagara University the day before Thanksgiving, winning in comfortable fashion, 70-47. Niagara was held to a 2-14 performance from beyond the arc in Fordham’s first road victory.
Black led the Rams in scoring with 18 points to go along with four steals. Niankan notched her first career double-double with 13 points and a career best 10 rebounds. Senior forward Emma Wilson-Saltos scored eight points and added eight rebounds. The Rams controlled the offensive glass with 23 offensive boards which led to 25 second chance points. Fordham also had one of their best performances from their bench, adding 22 points.
Fordham was again back at the Rose Hill Gymnasium on Sunday against the Long Island University (LIU) Sharks. The Sharks entered the game 4-1 but were cooled down by a dominant defensive effort from the Rams.
It was a tale of two stories in the contest, with different games being played in the first and second halves. After the end of the first half it seemed destined to be a battle to the end, but the third quarter was a game changer. Fordham held LIU to four points in that frame, which led to another relaxing win. The Rams beat the Sharks 72-51, which extended their winning streak to three and continued their home dominance.
Sirtautaite led the Rams in scoring with 12 points, while Black was limited to 11 after an 0-4 performance from deep. Despite her lowest scoring game, she also notched a season high seven rebounds followed by five assists. Freshman Maysen Hill tallied 11 points in Fordham’s best bench outing this season. The bench provided 46 points to the outcome and it was a crucial asset of Head Coach Bridgette Mitchell’s game plan. The third-year coach stated, “it’s really important to be able to have multiple scorers and it makes it really challenging to guard.”
Mitchell also mentioned the importance of continuing with their identity. “We made a mark for ourselves as being a really aggressive and strong defensive team,” she said. Mitchell emphasized the focus on creating takeaways, which the Rams did well against LIU by forcing 24 turnovers and defensive pressure for all 40 minutes.
Fordham will be back in action on Wednesday night as they travel south to Virginia for their first A-10 matchup against the George Mason University Patriots. It’s an early look at conference play for the Rams, and it will be a good test for this squad. Fordham then heads into another non-conference matchup against Hofstra University at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon on the road.
George Mason enters the conference matchup on a two game losing streak after tight losses to Murray State University and #13 University of Mississippi. The Patriots are undefeated at home thus far, so the Rams will attempt to hand them their first home loss of the season on Wednesday. This contest against George Mason is just an ounce of what the A-10 has to offer this season, which could pose some upcoming challenges for the Rams.
