Rooney's Career Night Lifts Rams Over American

Box Score

Coming into the 2013-2014 season, no one was expecting an off-year from Erin Rooney.  The Christchurch, New Zealand, native was a First Team All-Conference selection a year ago and the conference coaches awarded her the same accolades in the preseason.
 
Even with these expectations, no one could have predicted that she would be off to this magnificent of a start.  The redshirt senior set a new career-high with 24 points and tied a career-best with 12 boards on Monday night, leading her team to a hard-fought 66-62 victory over American in the Rose Hill Gym.  Rooney scored eight consecutive points for the Rams down the stretch to help clinch the victory and combined a game-high six assists with only one turnover.
 
On the season, Rooney is averaging 22 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.  She has scored no fewer than 19 points in any one contest, has eclipsed the 20-mark four times, and has notched four double-doubles.

The win moved Fordham to 4-2 on the season, while the loss dropped American to 3-2.
 
Rooney was one of three Fordham scorers in double figures, as freshman Hannah Missry tallied 13 points on 3-5 shooting from downtown.  Samantha Clark also had ten points and came up huge for the Rams in the closing minutes, nailing a late three and hitting a crucial free throw down the stretch.
 
One game removed from nearly nabbing a triple-double, Abigail Corning put up another complete game on the stat sheet, scoring eight points, grabbing seven rebounds, and dishing out four assists.
 
The Rams continued their recent trend of getting off to a hot start, scoring the game's first seven points and nine of the first 11 overall.  American wasted no time getting back in the contest; however, netting six unanswered and whittling the Fordham advantage down to one, 13-12, at the first media timeout with just under 14 minutes to go in the half.
 
Fordham would bump its lead back to two on a Corning free throw less than a minute later, but the Eagles uncorked a 6-0 run from there, taking an 18-14 lead just inside the ten minute mark.
 
American built its lead as high as seven, 23-16, with 7:16 to go, but the Rams responded with seven unanswered, tying up the score at 23 less than three minutes later.
 
The two squads went back and forth over the half's closing minutes, but the Rams jumped ahead, 28-27, on an Emily Tapio jumper in the paint just inside the two minute mark.  Rooney extended the Fordham lead to three on a running layup with 38 ticks left on the clock, and the Rams entered the locker room with a 30-27 advantage.
 
Rooney led all scorers with nine points at the half, while Missry chipped in seven.  Corning put up her usual workhorse numbers, tallying five points, six boards, and a pair of assists.
 
American got on the board first the second half, but Corning responded right away with a three from the left corner to put Fordham ahead 33-29 less than a minute into the period.  Corning's long ball started a 10-0 run for the Rams, as they stretched their lead to 11, 40-29, just over three minutes into the half.
 
The Eagles scored five in a row to get the Fordham advantage back down to six with 15:47 on the clock, but Missry's third three-pointer of the day extended the Rams' lead back to nine, 43-34, less than a minute later.
 
American proved resilient by getting back within five on a few occasions before Alexis Dobbs connected from beyond the arc to pull the Eagles within three, 52-49, with eight minutes to play.  Just over two minutes later, Michelle Holmes banked one in from three to even the count at 52.
 
The two teams went back and forth over the next several minutes, with a huge three from Clark putting the Rams ahead by one, 57-56, with 3:47 to play.
 
Geleisa George made one out of two free throws the next time down for American, tying the score, but Rooney answered right back with a drive and layup to put Fordham up two, 59-57.
 
From there, it was the Rooney show the whole way.  The Christchurch, New Zealand, native answered every American basket with one of her own, scoring eight straight points and sealing the Rams' victory.
 
After sweeping their three game home stand, the Rams are heading out West.  Fordham will take part in the Lady Rebel Round-Up at the UNLV beginning on Saturday.