Women's Basketball Outgunned at Saint Louis

Box Score (pdf)

St. Louis, Mo. – The Fordham women's basketball team were outgunned by the Atlantic 10's top offense on Saturday night inside Chaifetz Arena as Saint Louis walked away 82-58 winners on the team's Play4Kay night in front of thousands of fans. With the loss, the Rams' third straight, Fordham falls to 15-8 overall and 6-3 in conference play, while the Billikens improve to 17-5 and 7-2.
 
Saint Louis' 82 points are the most Fordham has allowed in regulation this season. The Billikens didn't take their foot off the pedal, shooting 56% from the field (30-of-54) and 50% (10-of-20) from downtown. The Rams won the battle of the boards, 34-31, but were unable to convert, especially from beyond the arc, hitting just 2-of-20 shots on the night, tied for a season-low in makes.
 
The Billikens racked up 39 points in the first half, the most the Rams have allowed in any half this season, and had an answer for every Fordham bucket and run. Jordyn Frantz kicked the contest off with an open three from the wing and Jackie Kemph' layup dropped for a quick 5-0 start. Kate Kreslina's nifty fake and up-and-under in the paint gave Fordham its first basket but Frantz drained another from distance and Olivia Jakubicek's jumper prompted a quick timeout from Gaitley. Sadie Stipanovich's layup out of the break capped a 7-0 run. G'mrice Davis got on the board with two buckets and Kreslina's three-point play got the Rams within six at the 3:32 mark. Jenny Vliet's three towards the end of the first quarter capped a 23-13 run to open the game, with all five Billiken starters getting on the scoresheet.
 
Kreslina's personal 5-0 run to start the second quarter, plus a Holden layup off an Asnate Fomina steal, got the Rams within three, 23-20, but it would be the closest they'd get. Saint Louis responded with a 9-0 run as the Rams failed to score beyond a Holden free throw over the next four minutes. Holden would stop the bleeding with a floater but Kemph answered with a free layup and, after Davis got her first bucket of the period, Frantz drained another long-range attempt to maintain the team's double-digit lead. Fordham scored six straight points at the end of the half, capped by a nice left-handed finish from Anna Kelly. The Billikens led, 39-29, at the break.
 
After a Frantz three, Kreslina drained one of her own and hit another shot in the paint for a personal 5-0 run to get the deficit to single digits. Stipanovich and Fomina traded jumpers, Vliet hit another trey, and Davis barreled her way to the basket for two more points. Stipanovich answered Fordham twice and the Rams endured a tough scoring drought thereafter while the Billikens upped their lead beyond 20, 62-43, at the end of the third quarter after two straight Stipanovich layups.
 
The Rams came out with renewed vigor in the fourth period, led by Davis and their bench, fighting for several offensive rebounds and forced several turnovers, but couldn't convert most of their attempts. Until late in the frame, the Rams were outscoring the hosts, but Saint Louis matched Fordham step for step to close out with a 20-15 fourth quarter.
 
Davis tallied yet another double-double, with 20 points and 10 rebounds in 31 minutes, while Kelly nearly nabbed one of her own, finishing the game with 11 points and a season-high nine boards across 22 minutes. Kreslina enjoyed a bounce back performance with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, but the other three starters combined for just seven points, all coming from sophomore Lauren Holden on 3-of-12 shooting. Hannah Missry and Danielle Burns struggled on the night, combining for 0-of-8 shooting and three rebounds.
 
It was milestone nights for the two seniors, however, with Burns becoming the fifth Ram to ever appear in 120 contests and Missry's 112^th career start breaking a tie for third all-time with Jeanine Radice, moving the senior into a tie with Suzanne Maguire for second-most all-time. Former teammate Samantha Clark is the program's leader with 126.  
 
Fordham has a quick turnaround, traveling to the nation's capital for a noon showdown at George Washington this Wednesday. The game will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.