Women's Basketball Falls Late at Davidson

Box Score (pdf)

Davidson, N.C.—The Fordham women's basketball team succumbed to a late rally in the fourth quarter and fell, 52-51, in the final seconds at Davidson on Tuesday night. With the loss, the Rams fall to 18-10 (9-5 A-10) on the season, while the Wildcats improve to 6-20 (4-10 A-10) overall.
 
Fordham led by as much as nine early in the fourth quarter but Davidson took over from that point on to snatch the victory. The Rams shot just 1-of-16 after G'mrice Davis' layup to start the final frame, while the Wildcats made the most of their possessions, shooting 5-of-9 in the fourth, including Saadia Timpton's layup with 15 seconds to play to retake a lead the hosts had lost early in the half.
 
The Rams grabbed 43 rebounds, second-most this year, and a season-high 19 on the offensive glass, led by Mary Goulding's five, but could only muster 11 second chance points on the night. Davidson shot 12-of-20 (60%) in the second half and outscored Fordham, 13-5, in the final period.
 
Justine Lyon's layup kickstarted the game but the team's leading scorer would go quiet after that, scoring just once more in the second quarter. However, Lyon exploded for seven buckets and 18 points in the second half to lead the Wildcats. Goulding scored Fordham's first two baskets, first grabbing an offensive board and putting it back in, then draining a long two from the top of the key, for the early lead. The Rams held a slim 11-9 margin after the opening 10 minutes. The second quarter was much of the same, with both teams shooting 30%, but Davidson had more second chance opportunities and converted a couple to take a tight 23-22 halftime lead.
 
What was a defensive battle in the first half turned into a sprint in the third period, with the Rams limiting their mistakes and doubling up their first half output, taking a seven-point lead at the end of the frame thanks to a Hannah Missry layup off an inbounds pass with under a second remaining, 46-39. While Fordham scored 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting, the Wildcats were more efficient, going 7-of-11 from the floor. The difference was the Rams, particularly Davis, getting to the line and hitting 8-of-9 freebies. Davis had all but one of those. 15 of Davidson's 16 points came from Lyon and Chloe Johnson, who combined for all seven baskets. Kyla Roland added a free throw.
 
The Wildcats finished the game on a 9-0 run after Lauren Holden's timely three brought Fordham's lead back to eight, 51-43, with 5:47 to play. The Rams didn't score from that point on. Lyon scored nine straight points around that Holden triple, including a three of her own, with 4:18 to play, to cut the deficit to three, 51-48. Johnson's jumper with 1:23 was next and then it was Timpton's jumper after Davidson had kept possession via a jump ball. The basket was Timpton's first and only of the contest.
 
Davis notched her 19^th double-double of the year with 13 points and 11 rebounds across 32 minutes. No other Ram finished in double figures but six others tallied at least four. Goulding, making her third straight start, scored six points and grabbed five offensive boards, finishing with seven for the game. Holden and Missry combined for 13 points on 5-of-21 shooting, with three boards apiece, while Asnate Fomina came off the bench for another all-around performance of four points, five boards, and three assists in 21 minutes. Danielle Burns finished with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting in 17 minutes off the bench.
 
The Rams outrebounded the Wildcats, 43-35, but shot just 30% in the game, including a 6-of-22 line from behind the arc.
 
Fordham returns to the Bronx for its regular season finale against current league leader Dayton on Sunday, February 19, at 2 p.m. That contest will be broadcast nationally on NBC Sports Network.