By MATT ROSENFELD
SPORTS EDITOR
Another week is in the books for Fordham’s women’s basketball team, which is currently in the heart of its Atlantic 10 schedule. For the second straight week, the Rams split their two contests, defeating Rhode Island 64-51 at home on Jan. 29, and falling to St. Bonaventure on the road 74-67 this past Saturday.
One of the most important factors in the turnaround of the women’s basketball program has been the success at Rose Hill. Last year, Fordham was 14-3 at Rose Hill Gym, during one of its most successful seasons in the team’s history. This year, the Rams are still protecting their home court.
Last Wednesday’s game was no regular home game for the Rams. The game against Rhode Island was Field Trip Day for Fordham, meaning a noon start and thousands of school kids packing the gym and cheering loudly for the Rams. The crowd of 2,686 was the largest ever for a Fordham women’s basketball game.
“It was terrific,” head coach Stephanie Gaitley said of the turnout. “I talked to the Rhode Island coach and she said it was just so deafening, they couldn’t even focus. That atmosphere is just more proof that a home crowd is a significant part [of games].”
While senior Erin Rooney has been the hot hand of late offensively, the day belonged to senior guard Abigail Corning. The Wethersfield, Conn. native led all scorers with 17 points on 6-12 shooting, including three from beyond the arc. She also grabbed five rebounds and had four assists to add to her spectacular day.
“It’s a nice luxury to have, where you don’t have just one person to rely on,” Gaitley said.
On the defensive side of the ball, Fordham put on another great display. It held Rhode Island to just 19 points in the first half, the fifth time the Rams have held their opponent to 20 or less points in the first half of a game.
“We just try treat every team the same, like there’s no name on the jersey,” Rooney said after the Rhode Island win. “Just going in wanting to really play defense, I think we’re one or two in defensive percentage, so that was our focus for the game.”
After the big win, Fordham hit the road to Olean, N.Y. to face the St. Bonaventure Bonnies. Another top team in the conference, St. Bonaventure was looking for a win to leap Fordham in the A-10 standings and got just that.
It was a game of offense in upstate New York, as all five of Fordham’s starters scored in double figures. Freshman Hannah Missry led the Rams in scoring with 18 points, all coming from beyond the arc. The sharpshooting freshman was 6-13 from deep, only taking one shot from inside the three point line all day.
Unfortunately for Fordham, Missry was not the best freshman on the floor that day. That title belonged to St. Bonaventure freshman Katie Healy. The Bonnies’ six-foot-one-inch forward had a career day. Healy scored 27 points, shooting 50 percent from the field and converted nine of her 10 free throw attempts on the day.
Free throws were a major discrepancy in the game, as the Bonnies went to the line 22 times to the Rams’ five. Fordham was also called for 23 personal fouls to St. Bonaventure’s 10.
It was a combination of both [the referees and Fordham playing sloppy],” Gaitley said. “I don’t think a call dictated the game, but the inconsistency of the calls left a lot to be desired. It was 10 to two in fouls in the first half, so they’re getting a lot of points on the line. I don’t doubt that we were fouling, but you can’t tell me they’re playing man to man on the other end and there’s no contact.”
It was not only fouls and free throws that doomed Fordham, but it was also late game execution. St. Bonaventure went on a 10-0 run late in the second half that put the Rams away for good in Saturday’s game.
“They made the big plays at the end,” Gaitley said. “We’ve got to make good decisions at the end of games, whether it’s with the ball or it’s defensively. We played really hard at Bonaventure, but it’s not enough to play hard, you have to play smart.”
The loss to St. Bonaventure was Fordham’s third A-10 loss. All of three of those losses have come against the current top teams in the conference. The Rams are in fourth. Fordham’s overall record now sits at 17-5, 6-3 in the A-10. Fordham’s next game is against George Washington on Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m at Rose Hill Gym.
