Bronx, N.Y. – The 2019 Atlantic 10 Champion Fordham women's basketball team learned its NCAA Tournament fate on Monday night during ESPN's Selection Show reveal. The Rams were named a 14 seed and will play at third-seeded #12/14 Syracuse (24-8) on Saturday afternoon, March 23, at 1 p.m. on ESPN2. Also playing their first and second-round games this weekend in Syracuse are No. 6 South Dakota State and No. 11 Quinnipiac. Should the Rams advance to the Sweet Sixteen, they will move on to Portland, Oregon the following weekend.
"We are excited to be in a region where family, friends, and fans can come see us play," Head coach
Stephanie Gaitley said, "Syracuse is a very well-coached and talented team. The ACC is the highest ranked conference. I believe in our players and feel we are playing our best basketball at the right time. This is an exciting time of year where anything can happen, which is why we call it 'March Madness'!"
Prior to their game with the Orange, South Dakota State (26-6) will face off with Quinnipiac at 11:15 a.m. on ESPN2. The winner of the two games will play one another on Monday night, March 25, at either 7 p.m. or 9:30 p.m.
Fordham coasted to its second Atlantic 10 championship in school history by defeating Massachusetts, Duquesne, and VCU by an average of just under 23 points per game to secure its third-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Rams previously reached the Dance in 1994 as Patriot League champions and six years ago in Coach Gaitley's third season at the helm. Fordham won a program record 13 A-10 games this year and a share of its first-ever regular season crown, in any conference.
The Rams are currently riding a 12-game win streak, tied for the school record set by the 2013-14 title-winning squad. This year's team also set the new program benchmark with nine straight conference victories and is 20-3 since starting the year at 5-5.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, March 19 via phone (888-DOME-TIX).
