Box Score Jan. 30, 2010
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| 1/30/10 - Highlights vs. La Salle 
Bronx, N.Y. - Led by senior forward Randall Hurst with 20 points, her sixth 20-point performance of the season, and 19 overall points from the charity stripe, the Fordham University women's basketball team tallied their second-straight Atlantic 10 victory at home, 57-47 over La Salle University on Saturday afternoon at Rose Hill Gym.
The Rams recorded their first two-game conference home win-streak since 2005-06. Fordham posted wins over Duquesne (Feb. 17) and Saint Louis (Feb. 26) when they defeated three of their last four opponents to secure a spot in the 2006 Atlantic 10 Tournament.
The victory also marks the only time the Rams have registered two-straight wins over the Explorers as Fordham won their last meeting, 48-45, on Feb. 7, 2009, and the first time the Rams recorded two Atlantic 10 wins since 2005-06.
Hurst, who led the Rams for the 10th time this season, shot 7-for-10 overall, 5-for-9 from the free throw line. The senior sunk her first basket at 8:14 with a jumper down low to give the Rams an 11-9 lead.
The Rams shot 19-of-23 (82.6 percent) from the charity stripe, led by junior guard Kyara Weekes, who was a perfect 8-for-8 from the line.
With the win, Fordham advances to 8-14 overall on the season and 2-5 in conference play. La Salle falls to 5-17 overall and 0-7 in the league.
The contest tipped off to a slow start as Fordham took a 7-0 lead off a layup and jumper from junior forward Tiffany Stokes and trey by sophomore guard Becky Peters. La Salle got its first points on the board at 15:10 with a jumper from junior forward Chelsea Conner, set up by senior forward Morgan Robertson.
The Explorers chipped back and remained close, tying the game at 9-9 with 8:41 left in the first period. Hurst put Fordham back up with her first points of the game at 8:14.
With just under two minutes to play in the half, Hurst hit one of two free throws to give the Rams a 20-15 lead. The Explorers hit a layup to bring the score within three, 20-17, with 1:35 on the clock. La Salle's senior guard Tara Lapetina hit a buzzer-beater 3-ball to tie the game at the half, 20-20.
Coming in off the break, La Salle took its first lead of the game with a free throw by senior guard Antonia Gale, 21-20. Fordham took it back with a jump shot in the paint by Hurst, shooting over a double-team's inside pressure.
La Salle worked its way to its largest lead of the game, 28-24, at 16:40 with a lay up by Gale.
Fordham responded with a 15-3 run sparked by a 3-ball from junior guard Kristina Bell set up by Hurst from the inside at 16:14.
The Rams' run put Fordham ahead 39-31, and was enough to keep the momentum in the Rams' favor for the rest of the game. A 3-pointer from rookie guard Charlotte Stoddart at 12:33 ended the four-minute scoring spurt.
La Salle cut it close with just over five minutes remaining as the Explorers cut the Rams' lead to three, 45-42, with another three from Lapetina. Ten-of-11 made free throws down the stretch, including four straight from Bell with 40 seconds left in regulation, were the difference maker as Fordham pulled ahead 57-47, for the final tally.
Weekes led the Rams at the boards with seven. Hurst added six rebounds to her 20 points. Peters was second on the team in scoring with 11 points, shooting 4-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. Bell recorded five assists, her second highest this season and three steals.
The Explorers were led by Lapetina with nine points, coming off 3-for-3 in three-point shooting. The Rams held La Salle's leading scorer Robertson to just six points. Robertson had averaged 10.6 points per game.
Up next, Fordham takes to the road for a two-game Atlantic 10 away-swing. The Rams will travel to Richmond, Va., to face the Richmond Spiders on Wednesday, Feb. 3 followed by a road game at University of Massachusetts in Amherst, Mass., on Saturday, Feb. 6. Tip off for Wednesday's game is slated for noon at the Robins Center.
