Bronx, N.Y. – The 2021-22 campaign begins in earnest in just six days for Fordham women's basketball and on Wednesday night the Rams returned to competitive action inside the Rose Hill Gymnasium in an 84-44 exhibition win over Post University.
The Rams led wire to wire in this one and in four minutes had a double-digit lead that stayed in double figures for the remainder of the game.
"Saw lots of improvement from the first scrimmage." Head coach
Stephanie Gaitley, entering her 11th year at Fordham, said, "Need to put together a total 40-minute game. Lots of solid things to build on."
Reigning Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Year
Anna DeWolfe looked in midseason form, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting with a pair of rebounds and assists over 23 minutes. Joining the junior in double figures was five Rams – senior transfer
Asiah Dingle put up 14 points, six steals, four assists, and two rebounds over a team-high 25 minutes, freshman
Millie Prior scored 13 off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting with six rebounds, while seniors
Kaitlyn Downey and
Megan Jonassen and sophomore
Maranda Nyborg all chipped in 10.
Jonassen shared the team lead with Prior with six boards, three coming on the offensive glass, while Downey hit 4-of-6 shots, including both three-point attempts, while dishing out a team-high six assists. Graduate
Kendell Heremaia started and scored three points with three dimes and a steal over 17 minutes to round out the starting five. Nyborg contributed across the board with four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block in 17 minutes off the bench, while
Matilda Flood contributed six points, two steals, and an assist in 15 minutes.
Sarah Karpell handed out four dimes in 14 minutes,
Colleen McQuillen made her Fordham debut with four rebounds and an assist, and
Catherine Polisano and
Edona Thaqi saw game action, as well, the former notching a steal and the latter an assist.
The Rams shot 54.5% overall from the floor on the night, including 41.2% from behind the arc (7-of-17) and 5-of-7 from the charity stripe. Of the offense's 36 baskets, 26 were assisted. 13 of Fordham's 31 rebounds were offensive and the defense racked up 13 steals and two blocks, while the team committed just nine turnovers.
Fordham kicks off the new campaign against Quinnipiac on Tuesday, November 9, in the first game of a Rose Hill Gym doubleheader. The Rams have one of Coach Gaitley's "most challenging" nonconference schedules in her career that includes meetings against two former multi-time NCAA champions, Baylor and Notre Dame, the former a preseason top-10 team in the country and the latter one of five teams that received votes in the preseason national polls.
