Box Score Nov. 13, 2009
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| 11/13/09 - Highlights vs. Albany 
Bronx, N.Y. -
Behind two dominant performances by forwards Tiffany Stokes and Randall Hurst, the Fordham women's basketball team opened their 2009-10 campaign with a 76-56 win over the Albany Great Danes at the Rose Hill Gym on Friday. It was Fordham's first season opening win since the 2005-06 season.
"The opening day win sets a tremendous tone," said head coach Cathy Andruzzi. "The comeback was really special. In the second half, we were much more aggressive, made more shots and tightened the offensive rebounding of Albany."
The big story was the play of Stokes and Hurst in the Rams' frontcourt, as the duo gave Fordham their first pair of 20-point scorers in the same game since January 2008 against Saint Louis, a span of 43 games.
Stokes posted a career-best effort with 25 points on 11-of-12 shooting, to go with 12 rebounds, three steals, and three blocks in 34 minutes off the bench. Her shooting effort was the best effort by a Ram since Jada Jefferson went 10-for-11 from the field against Virginia Tech during the 2004-05 season. It was also her first career double-double.
"Tiffany Stokes really showed what she's capable of doing," said Andruzzi.
Hurst was just as strong for Fordham, connecting for 22 points, three steals, and three assists, while going 10-for-11 from the free throw line.
The first half saw the Rams get out of the gate slowly, falling behind the Great Danes 16-7, eight minutes into the contest. Stokes and Hurst cut into that deficit with a pair of buckets each to pull Fordham within one, 16-15.
After tying the score at 21 on a pair of free throws by Kristina Bell, the Rams went on a 10-4 run to take a six-point lead, 31-25 with 2:04 left in the half. Albany fought their way back to take a one-point lead by halftime, 32-31, as Melia Basavand scored the final five points of the period on a three-pointer and a jumper.
At the break, Hurst led all scorers with 15 points, followed by Stokes' eight points and six rebounds.
The game remained tight, seeing multiple tie scores, the last coming at 49 all with 8:25 remaining. At that point, Fordham kicked it into overdrive with a 10-0 run to take the lead for good, highlighted by a three-pointer by
Katie Vican.
Over the final 8:25, the Rams outscored Albany, 27-7, using a suffocating defensive effort, which saw 14 steals and five blocks by the Rams and 24 Albany turnovers. For the game, Fordham held Albany to 38.6% shooting, while connecting on 54.7% from the field. The Rams' shooting performance was their best since the 2005-06 season, when the Rams shot 62.2% from the field against La Salle.
Besides Stokes and Hurst, Vican netted 13 points and four rebounds in her debut with Fordham, while Bell added eight points, three rebounds and two steals.
For Albany, Basavand led their scorers with 13 points, while Julie Forster had 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Fordham women's basketball team will next be in action on Wednesday, November 18th, as they play at Central Connecticut State, beginning at 7:00 PM.
