Box Score Dec. 29, 2012
Final Stats | Photo Gallery 
BRONX, N.Y. - Leading 25-21 at the intermission in the opening game of the 2012 Fordham Holiday Classic, the Rams couldn't recover from an early second half run by Lafayette, falling to the Leopards 54-50 in the Rose Hill Gym.
With the loss, Fordham drops to 7-5 on the year, while Lafayette improves to 5-7.
The Rams and Leopards played fairly even basketball to start off the contest, as the first nine minutes of action saw four lead changes and four ties between the two teams. Erin Rooney and Marah Stricklandled the way for Fordham in the early going, with Strickland scoring nine points and Rooney chipping in four points, a pair of steals and an assist over that stretch.
With the score tied at 15 and ten minutes left in the opening half, the Rams locked it down, holding Lafayette scoreless for the next six and a half minutes, while Rooney and Arielle Collinscombined for seven points to put the Rams ahead 22-15 with 3:30 left until the break.
Lafayette responded with six unanswered over the next 75 seconds to pull within one, 22-21, but a Samantha Clarkfree throw and a long jumper from Strickland extended the Fordham lead over the remainder of the half, and the Rams entered the intermission with a 25-21 advantage.
The biggest discrepancy between the two squads in the first half came in the form of turnovers. The Rams forced 14 Lafayette turnovers in the opening stanza, while taking excellent care of the ball in their own end, surrendering possession only three times.
Strickland led all scorers with 11 first half points on 5-10 shooting, while Rooney added nine points and four steals.
Lafayette came out of the gate firing in the second half, outscoring the Rams 20-6 over the first eight minutes of play to take a 41-31 advantage.
An Abigail Corningbucket finally stopped the bleeding with 10:20 left in the second half, ending a 15-0 Lafayette run and a seven minute scoring drought for the Rams.
Two free throws from Strickland pulled the Rams within six, and Clark shrank the deficit to four with a layup on the following possession.
Then, it was Corning once again, draining a three-ball and capping a 9-0 run to make the score 41-40 in favor of the Leopards with 8:41 to go. Lafayette would widen the lead to four, 44-40, but a jumper and a free throw from Corning narrowed the lead back to one, 44-43, with five and a half minutes left on the clock.
Not allowing Fordham to close the gap entirely, four unanswered put the Leopards back ahead by five, 48-43, with just over four minutes to go.
Lafayette immediately answered a Rooney layup with a three-pointer of their own, making the score 51-45 before a Strickland drive to the hoop shrank the deficit back to four, 51-47, with 90 seconds to go. A Rooney free throw put the Rams within three, and Corning sank a jumper on the next possession to tighten the lead to one, 51-50, with just thirty ticks left on the clock.
The Rams fouled Lafayette center Danielle Fiacco on the next possession, sending the struggling free throw shooter to the line for a one-and-one. She made the front-end, putting Lafayette up two. Fiacco missed the second and Rooney pulled down the board for the Rams, but an uncharacteristic turnover from the junior guard gave the Leopards the ball back. Two made free throws on the ensuing possession from Linnel Macklin iced the game, giving Lafayette the 54-50 lead with which they would end the game.
Strickland scored a game-high 17 points, one of three Fordham players to finish in double digits, as Rooney netted 14 and Corning chipped in 12. Rooney has scored in double digits in all 12 Fordham games this season. She also finished with a career-high-tying five steals.
The Rams will be back in action tomorrow afternoon, playing against Colorado State in the consolation game of the Fordham Holiday Classic at 1 PM in the Rose Hill Gym.
Providence vs. Colorado State
Tori Rule poured in a game-high 32 points and Symone Roberts added 15 for Providence, as the Friars downed Colorado State (3-8), 71-53, on the first day of the 2012 Fordham Holiday Classic. With the win, Providence (4-8) advances to the championship game of the tournament, taking on Lafayette at 3 PM.
Providence jumped out to an early lead, using a 13-0 run midway through the first half to open up a double digit lead that they would never relinquish. Rule scored 19 of her 32 points in the first half on 7-10 shooting, including 3-4 from beyond the arc.
Sam Martin scored 14 for the Rams to lead three scorers in double-figures. Kara Spotton added 11 and Alicia Nichols chipped in ten in the losing effort.
Colorado State will take on Fordham in the consolation game of the Fordham Holiday Classic at 1 PM in the Rose Hill Gym.
