Rams Open NCAA Tournament Against #24 Cal

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After basking in the glow of their first-ever Atlantic 10 title, it's back to work for the Fordham Rams, as they kick off the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in Waco, Texas, against Cal on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 PM ET.
 
The match up will be broadcast regionally on ESPN2, with Pam Ward and Carolyn Peck bringing you all the action from the Ferrell Center.  Those Fordham fans not in the New York or Berkeley areas can watch the game online on ESPN3.
 
The Rams enter the contest following the most dominant defensive performance in Atlantic 10 Championship history, allowing just 41.3 points per game over three days in Richmond.
 
Senior Abigail Corning earned Most Outstanding Player of the A-10 Championship.  Corning averaged 11 points, six rebounds and just under four assists over those three games, while turning in an assist to turnover ratio of nearly four to one.
 
Erin Rooney put forth an outstanding effort in Richmond, averaging 11 points, 7.7 rebounds and four assists per game. 
 
Emily Tapio enters the NCAA Tournament on the longest hot streak of her career, having registered double-doubles in five of the last eight games she's played.
 
This game will mark the first career NCAA contest for all but one of the Rams, as Mary Nwachukwu participated in two tourneys during her time at St. John's.
 
SCOUTING CAL
 
The 24^th ranked team in the nation, the Golden Bears finished the season 21-9 after making a run to the Final Four a year ago in New Orleans.
 
The Golden Bears are led into the tournament by Reshanda Gray, a 6-3 junior guard that ranks fifth in the NCAA with a field goal percentage of 60.4.  The Los Angeles native averages 17.6 points and nine rebounds per contest, including a career-high 43 point performance against Washington State last month.
 
Anchoring the backcourt for Cal is Nancy Lieberman Award finalist Brittany Boyd, who comes into the contest having tallied 14.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game this season.  
 
Lindsay Gottlieb patrols the sidelines for the Golden Bears, having compiled a 78-23 record in just under three seasons at the helm of the program.  A Scarsdale, N.Y., native, Gottlieb played her collegiate ball at Brown.