Box Score Feb. 13, 2010
Box Score
Philadelphia -
It was a déjà vu scene from Tom Gola Arena as the Fordham women's basketball team was tied at 26 with La Salle at the half -- this time with Fordham tying the score with a 3-pointer as time ticked off the clock. But it was the perimeter shooting from La Salle's senior Jamie Walsh that gave the Rams a different ending than a couple weeks ago as the Explorers slipped past Fordham, 70-62, on Saturday afternoon.
After a quiet first half, senior forward Randall Hurst (West Bloomfield, N.J.) led the Rams with her seventh 20-point game of the season as she sunk 22 points off 8-of-13 shooting. Sophomore Becky Peters (Plainsboro, N.J.) recorded 10 points in the first half, en route to a 15-point overall performance.
La Salle's Walsh finished the game 5-of-9 from the 3-point range, helping the Explorers to 10-of-17 shooting from long range.
With the loss, the Rams are 8-18 overall, 2-9 in the Atlantic 10. La Salle records their first league win and are 1-9 in the A-10 and 6-19 overall.
In the first half, junior guard Kristina Bell (West Bloomfield, Mich.) faked from the outside and dribbled in for the fade-away jumper to give Fordham its first lead of the game, 9-8. The Rams had played catch up for the first six minutes of the half when La Salle started out on an 8-2 run. Peters stole an Explorer pass out of the air for a fast break layup to give the Rams an 11-8 lead at 12:20.
The Rams and Explorers traded baskets over the next six minutes until La Salle broke the stalemate with a trifecta from Danielle Callahan to lead 19-18 with 6:32 left in the period. A 3-ball from Bell at 4:52 gave the Rams the go ahead, 23-19.
La Salle replied with a 3-pointer from Tara Lapetina and two points from Nadia Duncan to lead 26-23. With just over one minute left in the first half, junior guard Kyara Weekes (Cambridge, Mass.) set up for the 3-pointer to tie the score at 26 to go into the halftime break.
At the half, Peters had 10 points, off 4-of-6 shooting, while eight La Salle players had scored at least one point. The Rams were shooting 41.7 percent, compared to the 26.9 percent shooting from the teams' first meeting this season (Jan. 30). La Salle was 55.6 percent (5-for-9) from the 3-point arc, 40 percent better than their previous 1-of-6 performance at Rose Hill.
Coming in off the break, the Explorers hit two straight 3-pointers in the midst of a two-minute, 7-1 run to lead 34-27. Getting her own rebound, rookie guard Charlotte Stoddart (Manchester, England) dished the ball out to Weekes who sunk a three to get the Rams back in it 34-30. The Explorers answered back with another 3-pointer at 17:01, this time from Walsh.
Walsh hit three more long balls down the stretch to help the Explorers take a 53-43 lead with 8:46 left.
Nine straight points from Randall Hurst re-energized the Rams, despite the on-point perimeter shooting from the Explorers. With just over two minutes to play, the Explorers led 61-52. Freshman guard Arielle Collins (Hamilton, N.J.) aided the Rams' run with a 3-pointer at 2:05. Bell took advantage of a mishandled Explorer ball to set up Hurst under the basket to bring the score within two possessions, 61-57 with 1:30 left in the contest.
Similar to the Explorers and Rams' meeting at Rose Hill, it was free throw shooting that would seal the deal on the final score. This time, seven made free throws in La Salle's favor would give enough of a cushion to the Explorers as they slipped past the Rams, 70-62.
Next up, the Rams return home on Tuesday, Feb. 16 to host the Saint Louis Billikens at 7 p.m. at Rose Hill Gym. The contest is Fordham's 2010 WBCA Pink Zone game, benefiting the Kay Yow Fund.
Fans are encouraged to show their support for the Pink Zone initiative by wearing pink on game day. $2 Door donations will be collected in support of the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer fund.
