Women's Basketball Tamed by Undefeated Princeton, 67-53

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BRONX, N.Y. -- The Fordham women's basketball team could not muster enough offense Tuesday, as the Rams fell to undefeated Princeton, 67-53, in the Fordham Holiday Classic final inside the Rose Hill Gym. With the loss, Fordham sees its four-game win streak come to an end and falls to 8-5 on the season, while the Tigers, who are receiving votes in the AP Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll, improve to 15-0 overall.

The Rams used its signature defense and scoring from four different players to jump out to a 10-6 lead at the 13:34 mark of the first half. But their lead quickly evaporated, as Princeton scored the next 10 points to start a 23-5 run, which lasted for 10:37 and gave the visitors a 29-15 lead with a shade under three minutes remaining in the opening stanza, before heading into the locker room leading 31-18.

Fordham played well defensively in the first half, holding one of the top shooting teams in the nation to 39.3 percent (11-of-28) while forcing nine turnovers. But the Rams struggled on offense, shooting only 25.0 percent (7-of-28) and were outrebounded, 26-14, including 7-3 on the offensive glass, which allowed five extra second-chance points for the Tigers. Princeton also outscored Fordham, 7-0, on fast-break opportunities, which was one of the Tigers' biggest strengths coming in.

The Rams still trailed by 13 nearly five minutes into the second half, before graduate student Tiffany Ruffin knocked down a jump shot to start a string of seven unanswered points, with the final five scored by freshman G'mrice Davis, as her bucket at the 14:18 mark trimmed the Princeton lead to 37-31.

However, the Tigers responded to Fordham's punch with an 8-2 flurry to stretch their lead back to 12 at 45-33 with 10 minutes left in the game. Senior Emily Tapio scored back-to-back layups for the home team to slice the deficit back to under double digits, but Princeton once again answered with 13 of the next 15 points to take its largest lead of the game, 58-39, with 4:11 to go and cruised to the victory.

The Rams shot 56 percent (14-of-25) in the second half but turned the ball over seven times while forcing the Tigers into only four. Fordham finished the game shooting 39.6 percent (21-of-53) from the field and held Princeton to one of its lowest percentages of the season at 40.7 percent (24-of-59). The Tigers, who came into the game as the top three-point shooting team in the nation, knocked down 6-of-15, while the Rams connected on only 2-of-7, which proved to be one of the differences in the game.

Princeton also used its size to outrebound Fordham, 42-29, including 13-4 on the offensive glass to earn an 11-2 advantage in second-chance points. The Tigers finished the game outscoring the Rams, 11-0, on fast-break chances.

Davis came off the bench to lead all scorers with a season-high 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting in just 18 minutes of action. Ruffin played all 40 minutes and constructed another solid all-around game with 14 points to tie a career high, five rebounds and a team-best five assists to earn All-Tournament Team honors. Tapio, who battled foul trouble all game, chipped in 12 points, while junior Samantha Clark corralled a team-high nine rebounds and rejected a game-high three blocks.

Blake Dietrick, who was named Tournament MVP, led Princeton with 14 points, seven assists and six rebounds, while Michelle Miller, who also made the All-Tournament Team added 13 points. Annie Tarakchian chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals, and Taylor Williams tallied nine points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Hartford's Cherelle Moore and Savannah State's Ezinne Kalu were also named to the All-Tournament Team.

Fordham returns to action Sunday, Jan 4 when it welcomes Richmond to the Rose Hill Gym to start Atlantic 10 play. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.