Box Score Feb. 6, 2013
Final Stats | Women's Hoops Guru Feature on Game
PHILADELPHIA - Over the course of the season, head coach Stephanie Gaitley has constantly told her players that they have the opportunity to make history. Tonight, the 2012-2013 Rams made their mark in the record book once again, securing the program's highest ever win total in the A-10 with a 69-49 victory over La Salle in Tom Gola Arena.
The Rams move to 16-6 (6-1) with the win, while La Salle falls to 7-15 (3-4) with the loss.
The Rams and Explorers played a back and forth affair over the game's first ten minutes, a span that saw seven lead changes and a handful of ties.
Up 16-15 with seven and a half minutes to go in the opening half, Fordham rattled off a little run to cushion its lead. Erin Rooney netted five points on a 9-0 Rams streak to move the score to 25-15 with just under four minutes to go until the break.
The two teams traded buckets over the remainder of the period and the Rams entered the intermission with a 31-21 advantage.
Abigail Corning paced the Rams in the first half, going 4-4 from the floor and 2-2 from the stripe for ten points. Rooney also filled up the stat sheet early, scoring nine points and dishing out five assists in the opening stanza. Off the ball, Arielle Collins tallied four steals in the opening half and Samantha Clark grabbed seven boards.
La Salle scored the second half's first five points in a matter of just 40 seconds, but the Rams took no time to respond with a run of their own. A Collins runner through the lane sparked a 13-2 Fordham run to put the Rams up 44-28 with 14:51 to go, with the run's first seven points coming in the span of just over a minute. From there, the Rams showed no sign of letting up, keeping the lead at 14 points or more for the game's final 13 minutes.
For the game, four Fordham players finished in double figures.
Corning had her best offensive game of the year, tying a season-high with 17 points on 6-7 shooting. The Wethersfield. Conn., native also pulled down six boards, five on the offensive glass.
Rooney lit up the score board in many different ways on Wednesday, netting 15 points while dishing out eight assists, just one off her career-high.
Collins continued her recent tear. The senior from Hamilton, N.J., scored in double figures for the third straight game, registering 14 points and a season-high five steals in 40 minutes of action.
Marah Strickland finished with 12 points for the Rams, tied a career-high with three steals and grabbed five boards.
The reigning A-10 Rookie of the Week, Clark grabbed 11 boards and swatted away two La Salle shots.
Fordham returns to the Rose Hill Gym on Sunday, hosting the 18th ranked Dayton Flyers. Game time is set for 2 PM.
