All good things must come to an end, and after a WNIT appearance defined by tenacity, the Fordham Women’s Hoops season has officially come to a close.

Within a span of less than 10 days, the Rams received a WNIT bid, defeated Drexel University 73-63 at the Rose Hill Gym and dropped a heartbreaking 78-73 second-round contest to Columbia University on the road to cap off a memorable campaign.

Fordham’s first-round WNIT matchup required a team effort. The Drexel Dragons received a special performance from graduate guard Keishana Washington during last Thursday’s game. The Ontario native dropped 43 points and also made five three-pointers. The outing was not particularly surprising as the 5-foot-7-inch spark plug averaged the second-most points per game in the NCAA this year with a mark of 27.7.

Fordham was propelled by a key first half from senior Anna DeWolfe, and only trailed by five at the break. The veteran guard collected nine points in the half and was even better in the second. All told, DeWolfe posted a team-high 22 points along with three boards and an assist.
The Rams outscored the Dragons 49-34 in the second half thanks to a holistically good team showing. Specifically, graduate students Asiah Dingle and Jada Dapaa and sophomore Colleen McQuillen all made their mark and helped guide the Rams to victory. Dingle earned 16 points, two rebounds and four dimes. Dapaa grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds and scored 12 points. McQuillen enjoyed a fantastic night off the bench that included a career-high 11 points on a furious 4-8 shooting performance from the field. Overall, Fordham’s play as a team was able to outduel a predictably Washington-lead Drexel attack.

Monday’s showdown with the Columbia Lions saw the same kind of teamwork, but featured a less advantageous result. Even though the women in maroon played valiantly, they could not completely move past the Ivy League’s top scoring team.

The Rams battled fiercely in the first half and led at the halfway point thanks in large part to a 19-point second quarter. DeWolfe and Dingle once again led the charge with 21 points and 20 points, respectively.

But, Columbia had more firepower when push came to shove. Florida native Abbey Hsu provided the Lions with a jolt. The junior guard totaled 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists. Further, Kaitlyn Davis may have sunk the shot of the game. After the Rams took a one-point lead with 27 seconds remaining, the senior completed a gutsy three-point play on the other end to give the Ivy Leaguers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Fordham Women’s Hoops ends their season with a 19-13 record. Interim head coach Candice Green’s future is unknown, but the WNIT second-round loss marks the end of the road for key staples such as DeWolfe, Downey and Dingle.

Rams Basketball will return, but not before a summer in which change will reign supreme.