Women's Basketball Rallies for 71-64 Win Against Charlotte

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team outscored the Charlotte 49ers in the second half, 42-28, in a come-from-behind, 71-64, victory on Sunday afternoon in the Rose Hill Gym. The Rams snapped a two-game losing skid to improve to 2-2 on the season, while the 49ers suffered their first loss, falling to 2-1 overall.
 
"That was a great team win against a very good team," Head coach Stephanie Gaitley said, "I think we were able to take the lessons we learned from Penn State and apply those to a great victory!"
 
The Rams overcame a slow start with a terrific defensive third period and a big 29-point outburst in the fourth quarter to rally and pick up the win. Charlotte raced out to an 11-point lead, 15-4, at the 4:34 mark of the first quarter but the hosts regrouped and outscored the visitors, 10-5, including five unanswered points and a Bre Cavanaugh buzzer-beater two to finish the frame, to trail by just five after 10 minutes of action.  The 49ers converted 56.3% of their attempts in the first, while the Rams hit just 33.3%.
 
It didn't take long for the Rams to tie things back up as Cavanaugh drained a triple in the first 10 seconds and, on the next possession, a pair of offensive boards led to a Lauren Holden layup to knot things up at 20-20. The two teams traded blows for most of the quarter until late when Charlotte finished the first half on a 7-0 run to lead by that margin, 36-29, at the interval.
 
At the half, Fordham was hitting just 30.6% of its shots (11-of-36) and shooting 3-of-15 from behind the arc (20.0%), while the 49ers were shooting 47.1% overall from the floor.
 
The Rams looked rejuvenated out of the break and held Charlotte scoreless over the third quarter's first six minutes while they raced out to a four-point lead with an 11-0 run to start the second half. Each of the five starters scored once out of the team's first nine points in the half to take the lead, 38-36, the final bucket coming on a Mary Goulding putback layup, one of her five offensive rebounds in the contest. Charlotte battled back to tie things up at 42 with a little over a minute to play and Jazmin Harris' jumper gave the visitors the slight advantage heading to the fourth, 44-42.
 
Fordham took the lead for good with six minutes to play in the game on a Kendell Heremaia driving layup. The sophomore had just committed a turnover on the previous possession but made up for it with a nifty move and an easy path to the basket to put the Rams up, 53-52. Goulding blocked Dara Pearson's jumper on the other end and followed it up with a jumper to put the hosts up three. The senior responded to a Harris make with another jumper, getting herself her second double-double of the year, and the Rams never trailed by more than three the rest of the way. Goulding tallied 12 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter on 6-of-7 shooting with two blocks and a steal. The Rams hit 10-of-14 shots in the final period (71.4%) and all eight of their free throws down the stretch.
 
The Rams finished the game shooting 41.5% from the field, including 55.2% in the second half, while Charlotte converted on 43.3% from the floor overall. The Rams struggled from deep, however, with just 4-of-21 makes, but made just six attempts in the second half compared to 15 in the first. The Rams committed a season-low seven turnovers and recorded 10 assists and won the battle of the boards, 36-29, including a 15-12 margin on the offensive glass.
 
Goulding notched her second double-double of the year with 16 points, on 8-of-13 shooting, and 12 rebounds, five offensive, plus two blocks, a steal, and an assist across 35 minutes of action. Cavanaugh finished with 20 points, on 6-of-17 shooting, six boards, and two dimes over a team-high 37 minutes. Heremaia notched a new career-high with 14 points on an efficient 6-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-3 from deep, with three rebounds, a team-high three assists, and a steal in 25 minutes. Holden and Jillings each chipped in seven points. Megan Jonassen came off the bench for three points and six rebounds, four coming on the offensive glass, while Catherine Polisano scored her first collegiate points, converting both of her free throw attempts.
 
The Rams head out on the road for four straight games over a seven-day span, first at next weekend's Gulf Coast Showcase down in Florida before playing at Georgetown the following Thursday. Fordham plays Ball State to open the tournament on Friday at 11 a.m. and will play either Duke or Washington the next day depending on both results.