Fordham Trounces Pacific

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Coming off two tough road losses, the Rams were looking to get back on their feet Sunday afternoon in the Rose Hill Gym.  Stephanie Gaitley's squad did that and plenty more, shooting the lights out and downing Pacific 84-63.
 
Fordham shot an astounding 57 percent from the field on the afternoon, including a 9-19 (47.4%) performance from beyond the arc.
 
Individually, five Fordham players reached double figures in scoring, led by Erin Rooney, who tied a career-high with 23 points and grabbed ten boards for her second double-double of the year.  The Christchurch, New Zealand, native also paced the squad with five assists.  On the season, Rooney has scored at least 19 points every game so far, including three performances of 20 points or better.  Also, Sunday marked her second straight game with a career-high 23 points.
 
Emily Tapio also turned in the best game of her Fordham career in Sunday's win.  The junior forward from Brewster, N.Y., poured in a career-best 17 points on 6-9 shooting and dished out four assists. 
 
Hannah Missry, a freshman from Jackson, N.J., was the third Ram to set a new career-high against Pacific, tallying 16 points, including a 4-9 effort from three.
 
Sophomore Samantha Clark finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 12 points and nine boards, while Abigail Corning chipped in 12 points and three assists.
 
The Rams held Pacific, who had been flying high heading into Sunday's contest, to more than 20 points below its season scoring average.  Fordham also scored its highest point total in a regular season game since November 13, 2010 against Stony Brook, when the Rams put up 81 in a win over the Seawolves.
 
Pacific scored their first time down to start the contest, but a series of turnovers allowed Fordham to quickly respond.  The Rams opened an 11-3 run, grabbing a commanding 11-5 lead just two and a half minutes into the contest.
 
The Rams' offense continued to click, moving ahead 18-9 when Clark connected on her second three-pointer of the day with 14:31 to go in the half.
 
Pacific would cut the Fordham lead down to five on a Majorie Heard free throw four minutes later, but the Rams scored six in a row to work the advantage back to 11 at 26-15 with just under nine minutes until the break.
 
After a Sam Pettinger layup moved Pacific within nine, Emily Tapio banked one in just inside the eight minute mark and the Tigers would not get within single digits for the rest of the game.
 
The Rams' offense remained explosive over the period's closing minutes, eventually building their lead to 19, 45-26, on a Rooney jumper with just under a minute to go.
 
Rooney had an outstanding first half with 16 points and nine boards, while Tapio also reached double digits with 11 in the opening stanza.
 
The Rams took no time expanding the lead in the beginning of the second half.  By the first media timeout of the period, the Rams had moved ahead by 26, 58-32.  Rooney scored five of those points and grabbed her tenth rebound during that stretch, securing her second double-double of the season.
 
Fordham continued to connect from the floor, as Missry reached double figures and Danielle Padovano made her first points, pulling the Rams ahead by 29, 67-38, with just over 11 minutes left.
 
The Rams continued to dominate over the next five minutes of the contest, but a late Pacific run brought the Tigers within 23, which would end up being Fordham's margin of victory at the end of the contest.
 
Fordham will continue its home stand on Friday night in the friendly confines of the Rose Hill Gym, playing host to Yale on Friday night at 7 PM.