By MATT ROSENFELD

It is never easy to come back and play well after a heartbreaking loss. But that is exactly what Fordham’s women’s basketball team had to do this past Saturday.

Just one week ago, the Rams lost in double overtime to Richmond, 78-77. In this important Atlantic 10 game, Fordham fell victim to clutch shots from the Spiders, the final one being a three pointer to give Richmond the lead with which they ended up finishing.

“You’ve got to fight back,” coach Stephanie Gaitley told WFUV following the loss to Richmond. “You’ve got to come back hungry.”

The Rams did just that, grabbing victory from the jaws of defeat in a 43-42 win over La Salle on Senior Day at Rose Hill Gym.

It was an unusual game for Fordham. Right from the tipoff, the Rams struggled mightily on offense. They missed their first nine shot attempts from the field and did not score until junior forward Emily Tapio made a lay-up six minutes into the game.

La Salle was unable to take advantage until they ripped off an 8-0 run with five and a half minutes remaining in the first half. Even with the run, the Explorers only led 19-12. That seven point lead would hold until halftime, when La Salle took a 24-17 lead into the locker room.

That output, 17 points, is by far the Rams’ lowest total in a first half this season. This season, the team averages a little over 68 points per game.

Things didn’t get much for the home team at the start of the second half. La Salle was able to extend its lead to 11 with just over 14 minutes to play. Things were beginning to look desperate for the Rams, who couldn’t get in rhythm all day.

“There was no flow to the game,” Gaitley said. “It was one of the few times we really just hit a stumbling buck offensively. Fortunately for us, defense was our answer.”

Fordham really cracked down on the defensive end to pull itself right into the game. La Salle shot five of 25 from the field in the second half and managed just 18 points.

That would prove to be enough for the Rams, who started their comeback with a 7-0 run with a little over eight minutes to go. After cutting the lead to three, Fordham could not get over the hump and grab the lead. The Explorers managed to maintain a five point lead with 1:45 to go in the game.

At that point, however, senior guard Erin Rooney and Tapio took over. Rooney drove for a layup to make it a one possession game, and then after stealing the ball on the defensive end, Tapio drew a foul and sank two free throws, cutting La Salle’s lead to one.

“Emily is a money-time player,” Gaitley said. “She wants the ball with the game on the line. It was no surprise she made those foul shots at that time.”

With the Rams trailing by one, Gaitley subbed in freshman Danielle Burns for defensive purposes, and it paid off big time. Burns came up with a steal on La Salle’s next possession, giving Fordham the ball and a chance to win with just 20 seconds remaining.

On the ensuing Fordham possession, it was all Rooney. The New Zealand native drove to the hoop and drew a foul, giving herself two shots to give her team its first lead since 8:39 in the first half.

Going to the charity stripe, Rooney was 5-10 from the line on the day, very uncommon as the senior captain is shooting 75 percent from the line on the year. It did not matter; Rooney drained both free throws, and the Rams led by one with 12 seconds to go.

Defense came through one last time, and Fordham escaped with a crucial conference win.

Fordham was 0-13 from beyond the arc, the first time that has happened all year to the Rams, who lead the conference in three pointers made.

Another anomaly: Freshman Hannah Missry and  senior guard Abigail Corning were held scoreless.

“It’s something that, you know, it’s part of the game,” Corning said after the game. “Other people stepped up, Emily stepped up. Erin played great down the stretch. It’s really what we need.”

“It’s a complete team win and it’s going to help us for the tournament. There are going to be nights when our scorers can’t score and other people have to step up. I think we really proved we can do that today.”

With the win, Fordham moves to 20-6 on the year. This is the seventh team in school history to reach 20 wins, and the first team to do it in back-to-back years since the ‘70s. The Rams also remain in third in the conference, sitting at 9-4 in the A-10. The top four teams receive a bye in the postseason conference tournament.

With just three games remaining, the Rams head into the home stretch on Saturday, Feb. 22, when they travel to Duquesne. Fordham lost its first matchup with the Dukes, 65-61 at home in the Bronx. Saturday’s game tips off at 7 p.m.