The Fordham University women’s basketball team, coming off four consecutive losses, looked to right the ship by defeating the La Salle University Explorers on the road. With the team reeling as of late and in desperate need of a win, junior guard Chaé Harris knocked down a last second 3-pointer to give the Rams the win.
The game was close early. Each team made six shots in the first quarter and the Rams held the lead 14-10 going into the break. The Rams held the Explorers without a bucket for the first six minutes of the second quarter, but still gave up the lead going into the half, trailing 24-22.
La Salle came out of the locker room hot and extended their lead to double-digits just over three minutes into the third quarter. They maintained a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter.
Cutting that deficit in half within the first 34 seconds of the fourth, Fordham used a 9-0 run later in the quarter to pull in front 56-55 with just over two minutes left to play. An offensive foul by the Explorers gave the Rams back possession with a three second difference between the shot and game clocks.
With the game tied at 58, the Rams turned the ball over with 10 seconds to play, before a steal from Harris. She found herself wide open just beyond the arc, nailing a 3-pointer from the wing to seal the Rams’ first win over La Salle since the 2019-20 season.
Chaé Harris led the way for the Rams with 22 points off the bench in just 21 minutes of playing time. Additionally, senior guard Taylor Donaldson scored 17 points to go along with six rebounds and graduate student forward Irene Murua added another 12 points to the effort.
On Sunday, Feb. 16, following their win, the Rams hosted Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) at the Rose Hill Gymnasium. In a game without leading scorer Taylor Donaldson, the Rams were defeated 76-57. VCU turned in a strong 3-point performance, making 12 on the afternoon. The Rams were led by Irene Murua and senior guard Taya Davis who scored 15 and 11 points, respectively. Murua also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds as the Rams were outrebounded 45 to 32.
The Rams will look to shake off the loss against VCU as they face the University of Dayton on Saturday, Feb. 22.
