Fordham's Offense Explodes in Win Over USF

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Last year it was the Rams' defense that carried them to their best season in three decades, giving up just 52.4 points per game.  Judging by the looks of their season opener on Friday night against San Francisco, the Rams will be led this campaign by an explosive offense.  Fordham registered their best offensive output since 2010, downing the Dons 80-66 in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
Senior Abigail Corning led the Rams (1-0) with 22 points on 5-10 shooting from behind the arc.  The Wethersfield, Conn., native also dished out six assists.  Redshirt senior Erin Rooney tallied the second double-double of her Fordham career, netting 19 points, grabbing ten boards and registering five assists.
 
In addition to the outstanding efforts from these two upperclassmen, freshman Hannah Missry lived up to her hype as one of the best three-point shooters in New Jersey high school history.  The Jackson Memorial product scored all of her 14 points in the first half, going 4-8 from beyond the arc in the opening period.  Fellow freshman Danielle Burns also had an impressive showing in her college debut, scoring ten points on 5-7 shooting.
 
As a squad, the Rams shot 45 percent from both the floor and from three.
 
The win marked the first time Fordham had scored 80 points since November 13, 2010, when they put up 81 on Stony Brook.  It was also Fordham's best offensive effort in a season opener since 2003-2004, when the Rams destroyed Cal State Fullerton 81-43 to open that campaign.
 
Rooney got Fordham on the board first in the early going, driving through the USF defense and laying it in for the 2-0 lead.  Paige Spietz answered right back for the Dons and the two teams traded buckets over the next few minutes before USF nailed a three to take a 9-7 lead into the first media timeout.
 
The Dons (0-1) continued their hot hand on the other side of the stoppage, capping an 8-0 run with a Taj Winston jumper to make it 14-7 with 14:25 to go in the first half.  Rooney, a redshirt senior captain, responded with a big three for Fordham, pulling the Rams back within four on the next possession.
 
The Dons would pull ahead by as many as eight over the next few minutes, but the Rams rattled off a run to get back in the action just before the midway mark of the half.  Four different Fordham players scored on the 9-0 tear and the Rams took a 21-20 lead with 10:13 remaining until the intermission.
 
Heading into the third media timeout of the half, the two teams were tied at 25, but Corning connected on the front end of a one-and-one and Missry made a three to put Fordham ahead four, 29-25, with just over seven minutes to go.  USF would pull within one, but Missry quickly connected on two three-pointers, putting Fordham ahead by seven, 35-28, with five and a half minutes to go until the break.
 
Fordham would increase its lead over the closing minutes to nine, taking a 47-38 lead into the locker room. 
 
At the half, Missry led all scorers with 14 points, while Rooney had ten points and seven boards.
 
 
Corning registered the Rams' first five points of half number two, helping Fordham open a 52-40 lead with 15:22 left on the clock.
 
Over the next few minutes, Burns made back-to-back jumpers and Corning drained another three to stave off a Dons run, helping Fordham move ahead 59-46 and forcing a USF timeout with 11:42 to go.
 
The Rams then began another streak, as Burns made a tough layup and Rooney and Corning nailed from downtown to move Fordham ahead by 18, 67-49, with 8:28 remaining in the half.
 
From there, USF rattled off six in a row to gain some momentum, but Rooney and Corning combined for three three-pointers over the next couple of minutes, widening the Fordham advantage back to 18 at 73-55 with just over five minutes to go.
 
Fordham maintained a lead in the area of 15 points for the remainder of the game, closing out the contest 80-66.
 
The Rams face a tough test in their second game of the year, taking on reigning Big 10 Regular Season Champion Penn State on Sunday afternoon in State College, Pa.  Tip-off is at 2 PM and you can follow the action on WFUVsports.org, with DJ Sixsmith and Matt Moro bringing you the call.