Bronx, N.Y. – Backed by terrific team defense and efficiency inside the perimeter, the Fordham women's basketball team downed Iona, 57-40, on Friday afternoon in nearby New Rochelle, the team's second straight win and first true road win. With the result, the Rams improved to 7-5 on the season, while the Gaels fell to 1-10 overall.
"Great team win," Head coach
Stephanie Gaitley said, "We picked up where we left off defensively in the Columbia game. Great to get a road win as we head into our last two games before conference play!"
Tied at 10-10 after the first quarter, the Rams outscored the Gaels, 19-8, in the second quarter and never looked back, their lead only slipping into single figures just once more between the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth. Iona led, 8-4, at the first media timeout after a sluggish start to the game but the Rams crept back into the action and, after a series of ties, finished the first half on an 11-0 run, leading 29-18, at the break. Fordham shot 8-of-13 in the frame, including 8-of-9 inside the arc, after converting just 4-of-12 chances in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the Rams defense held the Gaels to 7-of-24 shooting in the first half.
Iona's Morgan Rachu scored her team's first six points of the second half, twice bringing the lead down to 10, and later in the third period it was Shayla Middlebrooks' layup that got the hosts within nine and, again at the buzzer, it was Shyan Mwai's jumper to do the same. Jodi-Marie Ramil's layup to start the fourth period got it to seven but that would be Iona's last basket, and penultimate in the contest, for six more minutes as the Rams scored 10 unanswered.
Lauren Holden stole the ball from Middlebrooks and hit a jumper in transition to begin the run and sank all four of her free throws down the stretch to solidify the victory.
Bre Cavanaugh led the way for Fordham with 15 points, on 6-of-14 shooting, and a career-high 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the year.
Kaitlyn Downey matched her season-high output of 12 points, set in the season opener against Wagner, and Holden chipped in 10 points.
Mary Goulding stuffed the stat sheet again with nine points, nine rebounds, three assists, and a block.
Megan Jonassen added six points and two boards off the bench,
Katie McLoughlin sank a long jumper during her six minutes of action, and
Vilisi Tavui and
Lauren Murphy got on the scoresheet from the charity stripe, as well, late in the game.
Fordham shot 20-of-30 inside the perimeter (66.7%) but struggled mightily from behind the arc, with Downey's third-quarter make serving as the lone conversion across 17 attempts. The Rams still shot 44.7%, compared to Iona's marks of 21.1% and 34.1%, respectively, however, won the battle of the boards, 32-24, the second-fewest boards by an opponent this year. Fordham also committed 14 turnovers, second-most on the year, to just nine assists, tied for fewest. The one three-point make is the program's fewest since missing on 13 attempts against La Salle on February 15, 2014. Since, the team has hit two or more in every contest.
For the second game in a row, the Fordham defense has held an opponent under 50 points. Under Coach Gaitley, the team has a 58-5 record in such games.
The Rams are off for eight days before welcoming Chattanooga, Maine, and Middle Tennessee State for the 12
th annual Fordham Holiday Classic next Saturday and Sunday. Fordham and Maine kick off the tournament on Saturday at 1 p.m.
