Women's Basketball Takes Down Albany, 89-82, in Double OT Thriller

Box Score

Bronx, N.Y. – Tuesday night's epic double overtime match-up between Fordham and five-time defending America East champion Albany in the Bronx had it all: big runs, clutch shots, gritty defense, gutsy performances and a breakneck pace. After several rallies, the Rams controlled the second overtime period and walked away 89-82 victors, moving to 3-1 on the young season. The Great Danes fall to 2-3 overall with the result.
 
"This was an incredible win," head coach Stephanie Gaitley said, "Albany is a very tough team and it was a great stepping stone win for us. I'm so proud of everyone. We stayed calm and believed in ourselves throughout the entire game!"
 
It was a fast-paced back-and-forth first quarter with both teams' offenses enjoying their fair share of chances and makes. The five-time defending America East champions showed exactly why they've been predicted to once again reach their league's summit by making 9-of-14 shots, but the Rams outdid the visitors, scoring 23 points to Albany's 19 on 9-of-12 shooting from the field, a perfect 2-for-2 from deep, and all three free throw attempts to boot, committing just three turnovers to the Great Danes' five.
 
2016 America East First Team selection Imani Tate had just scored three points to put the Great Danes up, 11-9, but freshman Anna Kelly came off the bench to spark a 9-2 run with seven straight points, that was capped by a Goulding baby hook in the post. Albany did finish the first quarter on a 6-5 run but Fordham kept its distance thanks to a timely Lauren Holden three-pointer and two Danielle Padovano free throws.  
 
While the first quarter was frenetic and offense-oriented, the second period was a scrappier affair, filled with turnovers, fouls, and misses. Albany outscored Fordham, 19-14, with a greater defensive presence, allowing just five Fordham makes in 18 attempts. The hosts initially started off well, with senior Hannah Missry nailing her second three-pointer of the evening, but Albany would allow just one Kate Kreslina free throw over the next five minutes as the Great Danes went on a 10-0 run. Tate's transition pull-up three-pointer gave Albany its first lead since midway through the first quarter, 29-27. Holden stopped the run with a jumper and Missry's off-balance long-range attempt at the end of the shot clock went in to give Fordham a one-point lead, 32-31. The two teams traded blows until the end of the half. Danielle Burns' first bucket of the night was a big one, a critical three with just under two minutes remaining to give the Rams a two-point cushion. Albany's Bose Aiyalogbe's jumper tied things up and Burns provided a tough two points to give the Rams a two-point advantage with 39 seconds left. Tate's stellar offensive performance was nowhere near finished, as the senior drilled a late three to take a one-point lead into the break, leading all scorers with 13 points.
 
It appeared to be much of the same to start the second half as the Great Danes held Fordham scoreless for nearly four minutes while enjoying an 8-0 run, giving the visitors their largest lead of the night, 46-37, until a Kreslina jumper sparked a big 10-0 Rams run orchestrated by Burns and Holden. Fordham hit 3-of-4 shots and 4-of-6 from the line, while the Great Danes missed all four attempts and committed four turnovers. Kelly had an opportunity to give her team the lead but missed both of her free throws, while Albany continued to turn the ball over. Tiana-Jo Carter was hit with a technical and Holden's two free throws gave Fordham a brief respite, up 47-46. Tate's floater ended a five-minute drought and started a 10-3 run of their own.
 
The fourth quarter began with a Carter layup and Albany held a lead throughout the entire period but Fordham kept battling. After the Carter make, Holden hit a crucial corner three for a new season-high 14 points, and Missry canned her fourth long-range effort of the evening on the very next possession to tie things up again. However, Carter and Fequiere responded with a 6-0 run over the next three minutes while the Rams committed three turnovers. Down 54-68 with four minutes to play, Kreslina was fouled while hitting a layup, converting the free throws, to cut the lead to four. Tate hit yet another jumper and there would be just one more bucket over the next two minutes – a G'mrice Davis layup in transition to get the Rams within three, 66-63, with 2:15 to play. Albany committed a turnover and Gaitley look a timeout. Out of the break, the Rams executed a designed play that left Burns wide open from deep and the senior did not miss her chance, tying the game up at 66-66 with just under a minute to play. A nuisance all game long, Tate drove straight down the other side and her turnaround jumper along the baseline had the visitors up two with 41 seconds left.
 
The end of regulation took several minutes but left those in attendance breathless. Burns' jumper at the end of the shot clock on a broken play allowed Albany to drive and get to the line on the other side. Point guard MacKenzie Trpcic missed both of her free throws but Kreslina was called for a lane violation, allowing the sophomore another chance, which she made to put her team up three, 69-66. Kreslina atoned on the other end by driving around a screen and getting fouled, making both of her freebies to give her 10 points on the night. Two Fequiere free throws extended Albany's lead with nine seconds left. Kreslina ran down the court with the game clock winding down and tossed it to Burns at the top of the key with a defender advancing on her and the senior's last-second heave swirled around and in as the crowd was sent into a frenzy.
 
Albany took three leads in the first overtime period. Tiana-Jo Carter's jumper was erased by a Burns field goal, and Carter's two free throws after drawing Davis' fifth foul of the night were answered by Holden's running floater after sophomore Mary Goulding corralled a critical offensive rebound. Tate hit yet another mid-range attempt and on their next offensive possession, Aiyalogbe hit one of two free throws. On the other side, with the shot clock winding down, Missry dramatically drained her fifth three of the night to even the score again, 78-78. Goulding, who replaced Davis and excelled in her overtime cameos, hit two free throws with 1:01 remaining to put Fordham up two, the team's first lead since the end of the third quarter. However, it was the Great Danes' turn for the dramatic, with Carter scoring her final basket of the night, a jumper in the paint with seven seconds left to force double overtime.
 
Tate got her team on the board right off the bat with a layup but Fordham's defense held tough, holding the Great Danes scoreless over the next 4:26 with four turnovers. Kreslina hit a huge three, the eventual game winner, and the Rams finished with an 8-0 run. Goulding took two charges in the final minutes and Kreslina capped off her biggest scoring output of the young season with a wide open layup with 39 seconds left. 
 
It was perhaps fitting that while Davis struggled coming off two big performances last week, the rest of the starting lineup stepped up with several new career and season highs. Burns, who didn't make a basket until early in the second quarter, finished with a team-high 19 points on 8-of-22 shooting, with four rebounds and two assists. Imani Tate played 46 minutes and shot 53.8% from the field on 26 attempts, scoring 31 points with a full line but also committing six turnovers and fouling out in double overtime. Both Holden and Kreslina, with 18 and 15 points, respectively, tallied new career-highs. Holden added a career-high six boards and three assists, while Kreslina added four rebounds and assists in 41 minutes.
 
Missry nearly played the entire contest, a new career-high 47 minutes, and scored a season-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting overall and 5-of-9 from beyond the arc. Kelly finished with the seven first quarter points, while Goulding chipped in six points, five rebounds, and three steals in 19 minutes.
 
Albany shot 51.4% from the field, while the Rams shot at a 42.9% clip. Fordham took 23 three-point attempts to Albany's nine attempts but hit a season-high 47.8% from long range. The Great Danes won the battle of the boards, 41-37, but both teams corralled 15 offensive boards. Albany committed 25 turnovers to Fordham's 20 but outscored the Rams in the paint, 48-22.

Fordham's last double overtime contest was a 78-77 loss at Richmond on February 11, 2014.
 
Fordham now turns its attention to the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament this weekend, first facing Texas Tech on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. That match can be followed live on WFUVSports.org.