Cancun, Mexico – The shots weren't falling for Fordham women's basketball on Saturday, resulting in a 58-43 loss to Arizona State to wrap up play at the Cancun Challenge with an 1-2 record. With the loss, the Rams fall to 4-3 on the year, while the Sun Devils improved to 4-3.
"The Cancun Challenge was a great opportunity to learn against a really strong field of teams." Head coach
Stephanie Gaitley said, "I think we will see it all pay off in March. Excited to get back to some games at the Hill!"
Back-to-back threes by
Matilda Flood and
Anna DeWolfe in the first quarter put the Rams up seven, 14-7, but from that point on, the offense struggled to get their shots to fall. Outside of the second period when the Sun Devils shot 53.9% from the floor, Fordham's defense kept its opponent to 39% or under and without a free-throw attempt through three quarters. However, the Rams picked up five quick fouls in the fourth and Arizona State hit 10-of-12 down the stretch.
Anna DeWolfe led the way with her second 20-point effort of the season, hitting the number exactly on 7-of-18 shooting with four threes, while leading the team with seven rebounds over all 40 minutes.
Asiah Dingle was the only other Ram in double figures, scoring 10 points to go with six boards, a team-high five assists, and one steal. Flood finished with five points off the bench, adding three rebounds and a steal, while
Megan Jonassen chipped in four points.
Fordham shot just 30.4% from the floor, including a 22.7% mark from downtown, and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. The team limited its turnovers, however, to just 11, while the Sun Devils committed 14. Arizona State won the rebounding battle, 36-28, with each team grabbing eight offensive boards.
Over three days, DeWolfe led the way with 16.0 points per game, adding 4.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 steals across 38.7 minutes, shooting 36.5% overall to earn All-Tournament honors. Dingle led the squad with 6.3 rebounds, while chipping in 9.7 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals. Heremaia averaged 9.0 points and 6.0 rebounds, while Downey paced the team with 3.3 assists and 1.3 blocks, adding 4.0 points.
The Rams return to the Bronx to begin a six-game homestand on Thursday night against Stony Brook. Tip-off from the Rose Hill Gymnasium is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and WFUV.
