Women's Basketball Explodes for 92-69 Win over Niagara

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Bronx, N.Y. – Christmas came early for the Fordham women's basketball team in an explosive 92-69 win over Niagara on Thursday afternoon, the most points scored in a game by the Rams since, ironically, a nearly identical 96-69 score 21 years and three weeks to the day against the Purple Eagles. With the win, Fordham improves to 9-4 (1-0 A-10) on the season, while the Purple Eagles fall to 4-7 (1-1 MAAC).
 
"Santa arrived early today with six players in double figures," head coach Stephanie Gaitley said, "Now if we can get our defense aligned with our offense, we will be a dangerous team!"
 
Junior forward G'mrice Davis nearly equaled her career-high 24 points set against Manhattan over the weekend, pouring in 23 points on a career-high 10 field goals (15 attempts) but missed her sixth double-double with only nine rebounds. Senior guard Hannah Missry was held to just two points in the first half but exploded for 14 points after the break for 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting and 4-of-7 from downtown, plus a season-high eight rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes. The duo were joined in double figures by Danielle Burns (12), Kate Kreslina (11), Lauren Holden (10), and Danielle Padovano (10).
 
Unsurprisingly, there were many season-highs for the squad as a whole, with 38 made field goals beating their previous high of 30 against Albany, although 68 attempts was two less than the double overtime win against the Great Danes. That ratio is good for 55.9% from the field, with the team's 47.7% mark against Little Rock in the rearview. The Rams' 11 makes from downtown matched the Albany game in two fewer attempts, the 52.4% standing as the new mark to beat. Fordham, however, attempted just seven free throws, second-fewest this campaign. Perhaps best of all, according to Coach Gaitley, was the team's 24 assists, eight more than their previous best against Albany. On second thought, maybe it was the season-low five turnovers that Coach will appreciate most of all. To top things off, the Rams also tallied two blocks, ending a five-game streak without a stuff.
 
Niagara started off well, making four of their first five shots in the game's first four minutes for a 10-6 lead. Both Tiffany Corselli and Kaylee Stroemple each had four. However, the Rams answered with an 8-0 run made up of a Holden three, a Burns three-point play that took the lead, Davis' first basket of the game. Fordham wouldn't relinquish its lead although there would be four ties over the remainder of the first quarter. Niagara responded with yet another 10-6 run, spurred on by Jai Moore's six points and Victoria Rampado's four on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting. Moore hit a jumper with 43 seconds remaining but Burns answered on the other end for the go-ahead basket and a slim 22-20 lead at the end of the first 10 minutes of action.
 
The second quarter remained back-and-forth until the very end when the Rams finished the first half with a flourish. The Rams outscored the Purple Eagles, 16-13, over the first eight minutes of the second frame, shooting 8-of-15 from the floor compared to Niagara's 4-of-11. Seven different Rams scored in the second quarter but only six notched at least two points during this run. After Missry was able to get on the board for the first time in two games with a nifty cut inside and layup, Kharysma Bryant hit one of her two free throws and Moore canned a jumper to cut the deficit to five, 38-33, with 1:54 to play in the half. It was then that the Rams exploded for 10 straight points in the final two minutes. Padovano, who came into the game shooting 50% from the floor and 57% from deep, albeit in limited action, drained a three 20 seconds later and capped off a personal 5-0 run with a layup with 40 seconds to play on a great feed from Kreslina at the top of the key. Kreslina herself, held off the scoresheet in those first eight minutes, continued the damage with her own 5-0 run, first stealing the ball away from Maggie McIntyre at halfcourt and goes the distance for an easy lay-in and then draining a deep heave from the left wing with just two seconds remaining in the half. Fordham took its biggest halftime lead of the season, 48-33, into the break on a 10-0 run.
 
Fordham kept the pressure on by extending this run to 14 unanswered points with a Davis mid-range jumper in traffic preceding a Burns layup to push the lead up to 19, 52-33, with 8:33 left in the third quarter. Stroemple's free throw 24 seconds later ended the drought and her jumper with 7:31 to go gave Niagara its first basket in more than five minutes and cut the deficit to 16. However, Fordham would close out the third quarter with a 17-11 run that featured 6-of-8 shooting, 3-of-4 from deep, and just one turnover. Missry began the run with the 260^th three-pointer of her career and the first since the win over Princeton nearly two weeks ago. Missry would add another two minutes later with a hand in her face. Morgan Baughman answered on the next possession with a trey of her own, Holden did the same off a Davis feed from the post. A minute without a basket ended with Holden dashing inside and hitting a teardrop for her eighth game in double figures this season, most on the team, and the lead would reach 20 points when G'mrice Davis hit a jumper with two minutes to play, 67-47. Padovano would drain another three with eight ticks on the clock left to reach double digits for the first time this season and Fordham held a 72-51 lead heading into the fourth.
 
Neither team could muster a basket over the first 180 seconds of the fourth period until Kreslina canned a three to push the lead up to 24. Missry would hit two more threes before leaving the game to a nice ovation. Davis pushed for her sixth double-double down the stretch and was able to add two more buckets, the first of which gave Fordham a 25-point lead, the largest of the day but not the largest of the season (28 points against Little Rock), but couldn't find that last board and fouled out for the third time this season.
 
Nine different Rams ended up on the scoresheet and nine Rams handed out at least one assist. Every starter scored at least 10 points and Padovano notched 10 on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting off the bench. The senior forward is now shooting 58.3% from the field and 66.7% from deep and played a season-high 18 minutes. Anna Kelly and Mary Goulding each tallied four points off the bench, the former added three rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 19 minutes, a new career-high. Tiffany Suarez scored two and, although Asnate Fomina failed to score on two attempts, the junior guard dished out three assists, second-most on the team, in just 10 minutes.
 
The Rams never shot below 50% in any quarter and never below 40% from deep, hitting at least two threes in each period. The Rams won the battle of the boards, 36-30, for the third straight game.
 
This was win number 107 at Fordham for Stephanie Gaitley and the 31-year veteran needs just nine more to surpass Kathy Mosolino as the all-time winningest coach in program history.
 
Fordham returns to the court next Thursday at noon against Buffalo to kick off the 10^th annual Fordham Holiday Classic that will also feature Harvard and UNC-Asheville. Get your tickets here.