Box Score Nov. 19, 2008
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
Bronx, N.Y. -
With great ball control and poise down the stretch, the Fordham women's basketball team used a 19-4 run late in the second half to defeat the Manhattan Jaspers, 62-49, in the annual Battle of the Bronx at the Rose Hill Gym on Wednesday night.
With the win, Fordham evens their record at 1-1 on the season, while Manhattan falls to 1-2.
Fordham started off the game well, building a double-digit lead, 20-9, halfway through the first half. Takita Earl scored eight points over the first ten minutes and the run was capped by a three-pointer from Megan Mahoney. Manhattan though slowly closed the gap to two points by the end of the half, as Fordham led by two, 25-23. The Jaspers outscored Fordham, 14-5, over the final nine minutes as Annie McIntyre and Kerri White both hit three-pointers in that stretch.
At the half, Fordham held Manhattan to just 9-of-30 shooting in the period, while forcing 13 Jasper turnovers. Fordham's Takita Earl led all scorers with eight points and three rebounds at the break, while Randall Hurst also had seven points for the Rams.
The play was extremely tight in the second half, as Manhattan eventually knotted the game at 33 on a three-pointer by Nicole Harrison with 14:11 remaining. Manhattan then grabbed the lead for first time since the opening minutes on a jumper by Kelly Regan. The Jaspers then pushed the lead to four, 40-36, on a three-pointer by Alyssa Herrington with 10:20 to go.
Fordham then turned up the defense, going to a full court press on the Jaspers, causing havoc in the Manhattan backcourt. Kyara Weekes started the Rams' comeback with an acrobatic lay-up, which started a 21-6 scoring stretch by the Rams. Becky Peters then scored four straight points followed by a Kristina Bell three-pointer to give Fordham a 46-42 lead. After exchanging baskets over the next two minutes, Bell got Fordham back ahead by four with a fast break basket with 6:06 remaining. Hurst then came up with two three-point plays in the paint down the stretch to extend the lead to 12, 58-46, with 3:29 to go.
A three-pointer by Manhattan got the Fordham lead back to nine, but Fordham made their final four free throws, two each by Weekes and Mahoney to seal a 62-49 victory.
For Fordham, Randall Hurst scored a game-high 19 points to go with six rebounds, while Kristina Bell added nine points, five rebounds, and three steals. Kyara Weekes chipped in eight points off the bench to go with three assists, with Takita Earl also having eight points.
For Manhattan, Kelly Regan led the team with 12 points, while Annie McIntyre added nine points.
The Fordham women's basketball team will next be in action on Saturday, November 22nd, as they host Bucknell University at 1:00 PM in the Rose Hill Gym.
