Women's Basketball Downs Maine, 72-64, in Overtime Thriller

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team secured the program's 600^th win in style on Saturday, kicking off the 12^th annual Fordham Holiday Classic with a 72-64 overtime victory over Maine. With the win, the Rams' third straight, Fordham improves to 8-5 on the season, while the Black Bears fall to 7-5 overall.
 
"Super team win against a really good Maine squad," Head coach Stephanie Gaitley said, "The toughness of our schedule and our kids really showed."
 
Fordham rallied after a slow start to the contest to lead, 28-25, at the half, and the two schools traded leads for much of the second half until the final seconds when freshman Kaitlyn Downey pulled down a last-second Bre Cavanaugh miss and laid it up to send the game to overtime. The Rams never trailed in the extra period, outscoring the visitors, 11-3, thanks to five points each by Bre Cavanaugh and Megan Jonassen.
 
The Rams struggled with Maine's defense in the early going, shooting just 2-of-10, both three-pointers, from the field and 5-of-8 from the line, while the Black Bears hit 8-of-14 attempts to lead, 19-11, after the opening 10 minutes. Fordham regrouped and put forth a stout defensive effort, holding Maine to just six points on 3-of-9 shooting, while taking the lead into the break on 6-of-15 shooting from the field.
 
The Black Bears retook the lead with four unanswered points but the Rams responded with a 9-2 run to lead by six, their largest margin in regulation, on a Lauren Holden three and two long-range makes by Cavanaugh. Maine chipped away at the deficit, though, and trailed by just one entering the final 10 minutes.
 
The advantage never swung in either team's direction by more than two points of a tense fourth quarter. Cavanaugh drilled a big three with 90 seconds to play to take a two-point lead, 57-55, but Maine's Dor Saar answered with one of her own immediately on the next possession to retake the lead. Cavanaugh put the hosts back on top with a driving layup but Saar was fouled on the other end and hit both of her freebies. Following a Fordham miss, Tanisha Sutton hit one of her two free throws to put the Black Bears up two.
 
Cavanaugh was called for a travel on the Rams' penultimate possession but Sutton was called for an off-the-ball offensive foul on the other end, her fifth, to give the Rams one more chance. Cavanaugh hoisted a last-second attempt, which fell short, but Downey was in the right place and was able to put the ball back in from directly under the basket with two ticks on the clock left.
 
A Kendell Heremaia offensive board gave Fordham a second chance on the extra period's opening possession and Cavanaugh's long two-pointer proved to be all the hosts would need. The redshirt sophomore canned her fifth three of the day one minute later and freshman Megan Jonassen converted two lay-ups while being fouled, hitting one of her two free throws, to put her team up nine. Holden's free throw with under a minute to play wrapped up the game's scoring.
 
Cavanaugh led the way by matching her season-high of 27 points, hitting 10-of-22 shots, 5-of-13 from three-point range, with eight rebounds and three assists over all 45 minutes. She scored 15 points in the second half and five in overtime. Holden added 11 points and a season-high six assists, one shy of her career-high, while Heremaia bounced back from a scoreless game at Iona with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds and two assists. Jonassen came off the bench for eight points and six rebounds, four on the offensive glass, across 20 minutes, as did Zara Jillings, who added four points, seven rebounds, and an assist. Mary Goulding posted seven points, five boards, and a pair of dimes, while Downey tallied five points, three offensive boards, two assists, and a steal over 21 minutes. Four different Rams had more offensive boards than defensive, with all four hauling in at least three on that end.
 
Fordham dominated the offensive glass, matching its season-high with 19 offensive rebounds, and hauled in 38 total compared to Maine's 27. The Rams also notched 16 assists, second-most this season, to just 12 turnovers, just four coming after halftime. The Black Bears outshot Fordham, 46.9% to 40.6%, though they shot just 3-of-14 (21.4%) from behind the arc, while the Rams hit 9-of-16 (32.1%). Maine also took and made more free throws, 15-of-22 (68.2%) to the 11-of-18 (61.1%).
 
The Rams will face Middle Tennessee State in the Holiday Classic final on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of game one.