Richmond, Va. – The Fordham women's basketball team overcame a slow start and road a career night from
Kendell Heremaia to coast to a 64-47 win at Richmond on Sunday afternoon. With the win, their fifth straight, the Rams improve to 17-8 overall and 9-3 in Atlantic 10 play. With VCU's loss, Fordham ascends into a tie with their rival Rams, though VCU holds the season tiebreaker.
"Great team defensive effort and terrific individual effort by Kene. The unsung hero was Meg." Head coach
Stephanie Gaitley said, "Super team victory – road wins are always special!"
Heremaia was feeling it all game long, scoring at least five points in every quarter, finishing with a career-high 29 points on a super efficient 12-of-17 from the field, 5-of-9 from deep, with 10 rebounds, three assists, a career-high three blocks, and a steal over 37 minutes. The double-double was the junior's fifth this year. The attempts weren't a new career-high but the makes were, four more than her previous, while her three-point makes tied her personal-best for a third time.
Anna DeWolfe got the game started with a jumper and the two schools exchanged baskets throughout the opening 10 minutes. A three-point play by Alex Parson put the hosts up four, 10-6, and Richmond would lead 16-15 heading to the second. Prior to that, the Rams finished the frame on a 5-2 run with a three-point make from
Bre Cavanaugh and a putback layup by
Megan Jonassen with less than 30 seconds remaining, the first of her five offensive boards on the day.
A Heremaia triple put Fordham back up to start the quarter but Richmond remained in control, eventually taking a five-point lead, their largest of the game, midway through the second, 23-18, following a 6-0 run. Heremaia kept Fordham close and eventually helped them break through with three long-range bombs over the final five minutes. The first was in direct response to that run, the second cut the deficit to one, 25-24, and the third extended a lead that was gained by another Jonassen putback to a four-point lead, 29-25. Parson was able to hit a jumper for the half's final basket to make it a two-point game at the intermission.
Fordham outscored Richmond 21-9 in the third quarter, starting with eight unanswered points to begin the second half. A three by Claire Holt to stop the skid at the 5:29 mark was answered immediately by Heremaia from deep on the other end to reestablish a nine-point lead, 39-30, heading into the media timeout. The Rams' lead crept into double figures for the first time following a DeWolfe jumper in the paint after Jonassen snagged an offensive board. DeWolfe then drained a three on the next possession to make it a 14-point advantage. After free throws by Holt, DeWolfe capped her personal run with another jumper, this one following a
Sarah Karpell offensive rebound.
The lead reached its apex, 56-38, on Heremaia's final bucket of the afternoon, a jumper in the lane, with 4:49 to play. The junior snared the final rebound of the contest in the dying seconds to secure her double-double.
DeWolfe came alive in the second half and finished with 17 points on 8-of-20 shooting, a new career-high in attempts, adding six rebounds, three assists, and three steals over 40 minutes. Cavanaugh struggled with her shot, converting just 3-of-18 overall, by finished in double figures again with 11 points, plus three steals and two boards over 40 minutes, the 11
th time this year she's played a full contest. Jonassen scored seven points with her five offensive boards over 21 minutes off the bench.
The Rams slightly outshot the Spiders, 38.8% to 37.8%, and lost the rebounding battle, 36-34, though 14 of those 34 rebounds were on the offensive glass. Fordham scored 16 second-chance points and scored 22 points off Richmond's 27 turnovers, a mark that is tied for 10
th-most all-time by an opponent.
The Rams travel to Saint Louis for an 11 a.m. contest on Wednesday.
