Box Score Dec. 10, 2012
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BRONX, N.Y. -
Behind career performances from Erin Rooney and Samantha Clark, the Rams took down the Southern University Jaguars 56-44 in the Rose Hill Gym on Monday night.
With the victory, Fordham moves to 6-4, while the Jaguars drop to 0-8.
The Rams dictated the pace right off the bat, scoring the game's first 10 points over a two and half minute span. Fordham nailed five out of its first six attempts from the floor, highlighted by six points from Clark.
Southern worked its way back into the game, outscoring Fordham 16-9 over the next 14 minutes, but the Rams regained their shooting touch just before the intermission. Coach Gaitley's squad closed out the first stanza on a 6-0 run, with four of those points coming from Rooney.
The Rams entered the break with a 26-16 advantage. Southern's 16 points were the fewest allowed by Fordham in a half this season.
Rooney and Arielle Collins each tallied six points in the first half, but the game belonged to Clark early on. The freshman out of Neptune, N.J. nearly collected a double-double before the break, netting 11 points and corralling nine boards. She completed the double-double with a defensive rebound just under three minutes into the second half.
Despite a solid defensive effort from the Rams, Southern just wouldn't go away in the beginning of the second half, eventually chipping the lead down to two with just under 13 minutes to go.
At this point, the Rams offense ignited. Six points from Marah Strickland, including a four-point play, highlighted an 11-0 run that put the Rams up 44-31 with 10:14 left of the clock.
While Clark dominated the first half for the Rams, the latter stanza belonged to Rooney. The New Zealand native scored 16 of her career-high-tying 22 points in the second period. In addition to scoring a single-game high for the Rams this season, Rooney also lit up the stat sheet in other areas. The junior collected five boards, distributed four helpers, and grabbed three steals.
Although she had put up a few impressive performances in the team's first nine games this season, Monday's contest really served as a coming-out party for Clark. Making her second consecutive start, the 6'2" forward dominated the paint, finishing with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Her double-double was the first for a Fordham player this season.
Also putting in a solid effort for the Rams, Collins finished the game with nine points, three boards, and a pair of assists.
Collins, Clark, and Rooney combined for 34 of the Rams' first 36 points.
Fordham will take the next few days off before hosting Morgan State in the Rose Hill Gym on Sunday afternoon. The game is set for 2:00 PM.
