March 1, 2012

Philadelphia, Pa. - The Fordham University women's basketball faces fifth-seeded Saint Joseph's in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Championship from Hagan Arena in Philadelphia on Friday, at 2:30 PM. Follow the action via the links below:

Listen Live on WFUV.org | GameTracker | Follow on Twitter | A-10 Tournament Central | Bus Info

The Rams and Hawks meet for the 37th time on Friday with Saint Joseph's leading the all-time series, 33-3, and has won the last eleven meetings, including an overtime win earlier in the year at Hagan Arena. Fordham's last win over the Hawks was a 57-43 victory from Philadelphia on February 4, 2005.

Fordham finished the regular season with a 12-17 overall mark, including a 3-11 Atlantic 10 ledger. They snagged the final post season spot by defeating Saint Louis and finishing in a tie for 12th with Massachusetts, but the Rams owned the first tiebreaker scenario because of a last-second victory over the Minutewomen earlier in the season.

Fordham enters the game with three players averaging in double figures in scoring beginning with Arielle Collins at 11.3 ppg. Collins also leads the squad in assists (95) and steals (55) while Becky Peters enters play scoring 10.9 points per game and Abigail Corning is scoring 10.2 ppg.

The Hawks finished 19-9 overall and posted a 9-5 conference mark. They are the fifth seed in the championship and are, coincidentally, the host school for the tournament. Saint Joseph's is led in scoring by Michelle Baker at 11.8 ppg. Baker was named to the All A-10 Second Team earlier in the week. She is the only player averaging double figures in scoring for the Hawks. This year marks the third consecutive season that the Rams qualified for the A-10 Championship. Fordham and Saint Joseph's have met four times in the A-10 tournament with the Hawks winning all four games.

The winner of the contest will move on to the quarterfinal round of competition where they will face Richmond, the fourth seed. The Spiders, who earned a first round bye, will play the Hawks-Rams victor on Saturday, March 3, at 2:30 PM.