Women's Basketball Falls to VCU

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team led by as much as 16 points late in the first half but VCU rallied, took the lead, and held on for a 61-58 win in the Bronx on Saturday afternoon. With the loss, Fordham falls to 15-7 (6-2 A-10), while VCU improves to 11-10 (4-4 A-10) overall.
 
"On any given day, anyone can beat anyone in our conference," Head coach Stephanie Gaitley said, "The road only gets tougher so we need to get tougher!"
 
Virginia Commonwealth used a 16-0 run spanning two quarters to erase Fordham's 16-point first half lead and pushed that run up to 24-2 to lead by six midway through the third quarter, 40-34. The hosts rallied and eventually retook the lead, which they would hold for much of the final period until VCU hit timely shots to walk away with the win.
 
Fordham began the game in dominant fashion, holding VCU to nine first quarter points while scoring 17, and eventually doubling the visitors, 32-16. During the run, Fordham shot 12-of-22 from the floor with 4-of-8 shooting from long range, while VCU shot just 6-of-21 with six turnovers. Anna Kelly provided a spark off the bench with eight points during the run.
 
Isis Thorpe began the long run with a jumper at the 2:07 mark of the second quarter and it only took four minutes for VCU to make up the deficit around halftime. Fordham shot just 0-of-2 from the field and committed three turnovers, while VCU hit 6-of-8 shots, including two triples. Danielle Burns stopped the bleeding temporarily with a layup but VCU countered with eight straight points over the next three minutes, all on mid-range jumpers. G'mrice Davis' and-one turned the tides midway through the third quarter and, although VCU would built its lead back up to seven, 45-38, Fomina's three sparked an 8-1 run to tie the game up, 46-46, capped by a Burns three. Mooriah Rowser answered with a jumper, but Fordham's 5-0 run afterwards gave the hosts their first lead since late in the first half, midway through the fourth quarter, 50-48, on a Kelly and-one.
 
Davis hit a jumper to notch her 13^th double-double of the season and second straight to put Fordham up four, 53-49, with 4:26 to play but VCU finished the game on a 12-5 run. Thorpe hit another three before fouling out minutes later and VCU retook the lead on a Curteeona Brelove layup in transition with a minute to play. Kelly hit yet another timely bucket, a left-handed hook in the lane, to send the crowd into a frenzy, but VCU answered on the other end via Keira Robinson's jumper. Fordham took a timeout and turned the ball over on the ensuing inbounds play, gifting the visitors the chance to pull away. However, VCU shot just 1-of-4 free throws, the second pair coming after the Rams grabbed an offensive board, but Fordham couldn't capitalize.

 
Kelly paced the squad with 16 points off the bench, the second-highest output of her season, on 5-of-9 shooting and 6-of-7 from the line. The freshman guard also grabbed four Davis's 13^th double-double came on 12 points and 13 rebounds, plus a career-high matching two blocks. Davis played all 40 minutes for the second straight contest and third time this season. Burns also notched 12 points but committed six turnovers before fouling out late. Lauren Holden matched her season-high of four assists. Hannah Missry, honored pregame for scoring 1,000 career points, hit two threes to finish with six points. The senior's two triples moves her into a tie with St. Bonaventure's Stefanie Collins ('02-'06) for fifth-most in A-10 history, with 288.
 
Rowser led her team with 17 points on 8-of-14 shooting, Thorpe was next with 15, and Robinson double-doubled, as well, with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while notching four assists and four steals.
 
Fordham shot 40% from the floor (20-of-50) but allowed its opponent to shoot 45.1% (23-of-51), primarily coming in a scorching hot third quarter in which VCU hit 9-of-12 shots. The visitors got to the line to shoot 23 free throws but hit just 11, while Fordham hit 12-of-14 from the stripe. VCU won the rebounding battle, 35-29, including 12 coming on the offensive glass. Fordham had 12 assists but also committed 17 turnovers.
 
Fordham is on the road for two tough conference match-ups, first at Saint Louis next Saturday, January 28, at 7 p.m., and then the following Wednesday at George Washington, a nationally televised contest on NBC Sports Network at 12 p.m.