Fairfax, Va. – The Fordham women's basketball team found itself in Virginia for a third consecutive Sunday but also walking away with a win for a third straight Sunday. This time, the Rams outlasted a George Mason second-half surge to secure a vital Atlantic 10 road win, 67-62, at EagleBank Arena in Fairfax. With the victory, Fordham improved to 17-5 overall and 8-1 in conference action, while the Patriots fell to 16-6 and 5-3, respectively.
"I'm extremely proud of our kids for staying tough and gutting things out down the stretch in what was a very tough atmosphere," Head coach
Stephanie Gaitley said, "This was a great win over a really tough George Mason team!"
George Mason used a big 19-12 third quarter to get within striking distance after Fordham had padded its lead as high as 12 late in the first half. The Patriots had tied the game at 46 with a minute to go but
Kendell Heremaia drained a clutch corner three to put the Rams back up. The lead wouldn't last for the visitors, however, as George Mason continued to battle and eventually took the lead, 60-59, on a Tayler Dodson three with 3:43 remaining. Fordham responded with clutch free throws by
G'mrice Davis and a vital three-pointer by
Lauren Holden, while holding the Patriots to just two points the rest of the way.
Davis led the way with a game-high 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. The senior also tallied 13 boards and matched a career-high with four assists.
Bre Cavanaugh tossed up a season-high 20 shots, hitting just four, but converted on two triples and sank all four of her free-throw attempts for 14 points.
Mary Goulding, Heremaia, Holden, and
Johanna Klug all contributed between eight and nine points, as well.
The Patriots outrebounded Fordham, 41-27, the second-fewest boards for the Rams this season, with Natalie Butler corralling 20 on her own, eight on the offensive glass. Fordham, though, despite the large and loud crowd for Girl Scout Day remained composed and recorded more assists (15) than turnovers (12) on the afternoon. The Patriots, meanwhile, turned the ball over 18 times, leading to 22 Fordham points.
The Rams have a quick turnaround again coming up, traveling to Saint Louis for another crucial A-10 road clash. Tipoff for Wednesday's contest is set for 12 p.m. and will be shown live on NBC Sports Network.
More to come...
