University Park, Pa. – The Fordham women's basketball team held a 10-point lead with six minutes remaining in regulation at Penn State on Wednesday night but was unable to contain the Lady Lion backcourt duo of Teniya Page and Amari Carter down the stretch as the pair personally went on a 14-3 run to turn the tide and snatch a 65-60 win. The Rams snap a three-game winning streak and fall to 4-3 on the year, while Penn State improves to 8-2 overall.
Fordham set the tempo from the jump with back-to-back three-pointers by
Bre Cavanaugh and
Lauren Holden and would lead the hosting Lady Lions all the way until the 1:31 mark of the fourth quarter. While the fourth quarter has been a strength for Fordham so far this season, outscoring opponents, 94-80, and 182-147 in second halves, the Rams faltered down the stretch, getting outscored, 23-11, over the final 10 minutes. Holdens' three with just under five minutes to play would be Fordham's last basket until
Mary Goulding's three-pointer at the end of regulation.
After the threes by Cavanaugh and Holden, Goulding converted two straight layups to give the Rams an early 10-4 lead halfway through the first period. The Lady Lions could get just within four the rest of the frame, with Fordham's lead getting as high as nine, 20-11, with
G'mrice Davis' first basket of the game on a mid-range jumper. Penn State would close out the quarter well, however, with five unanswered points by Page and Siyeh Frazier, to trail, 20-16, heading to the second. Fordham enjoyed seven points off turnovers and nine second-chance points during the opening 10 minutes.
Fordham got on the board first in the second quarter when Goulding grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it back in. The two teams would trade baskets for most of the second period until Fordham hit a couple of late threes to jump out to an eight-point lead.
Kendell Heremaia drained a corner three with 1:40 left to go and Holden hit another a minute later after Cavanaugh came down with a clutch offensive board to keep possession. Fordham took a 34-28 lead into the half, scoring five more second-chance points in the frame.
Timely makes for Fordham kept its success going in the third quarter; the Rams consistently answered each and every Penn State basket in the third quarter, and it was team effort, as well, with another three for Heremaia, points in the paint by Davis and Goulding, and jumpers by Cavanaugh and one from Heremaia, to take a 49-42 lead into the fourth quarter.
After a pair of Penn State free throws by Kamaria McDaniel, Heremaia sank yet another three from the far corner to push the lead to eight and on the next possession, Cavanaugh's mid-range jumper dropped to give Fordham its largest lead of the night, 54-44, with 7:48 to play. However, Fordham lost its touch thereafter, missing several looks over the next several minutes as Teniya Page and Amari Carter were turned loose, whittling the lead down to one, 57-56, with two minutes remaining to force a Fordham timeout. Out of the timeout, Holden's three-point attempt rimmed in and out and Page's jumper fell to give Penn State's first lead of the entire game. The same sequence played out right after, Holden's three falling short and Page hitting her look on the other end to give the Lady Lions a three-point cushion with 48 seconds remaining. Free throws gave Penn State breathing room and, aside from a late Goulding three, the Lady Lions saw out the result comfortably.
The Rams shot 43.5% from the field as a team through the first three quarters but just 4-of-22 in the fourth frame. Penn State was efficient throughout, hitting half of their 34 attempts over the same time, but Page and Carter really turned it up in the fourth, as the Lady Lions hit 7-of-9 shots in the fourth period, including hitting their long long-range effort, and hitting 8-of-9 from the free throw line.
Fordham shot 35.3% overall, hitting a season-high 24 field goals and 10 threes, but also a season-low two free throws. For the first time this season, the Rams notched more assists than turnovers, 15 to 14, respectively, and also continued to limit its fouls, with just 13 on the night.
The Rams crushed Penn State on the glass, 38-24, and had more offensive rebounds than defensive boards, 21 compared to the Lady Lions' three.
The quintet of Cavanaugh, Davis, Goulding, Heremaia, and Holden all reached double figures, with Holden's 14 leading the group on a career-high-matching 17 attempts. Davis tallied her sixth straight double-double to begin the year, posting 12 points and 13 rebounds, while Goulding notched her second straight, with 12 points and 13 rebounds, 10 of which came on the offensive glass. The junior matched her career-high for makes, with six, and set a new mark with 13 attempts, also handing out a personal-best five assists. Cavanaugh's four dimes were also a season-high for her. Heremaia's 11 points are the first time the freshman guard has reached double digits.
The Rams host Iona on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., the first game of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team. Both contests will be shown live on the A-10 Digital Network.
