Bronx, N.Y. – In front of friends, family, and fellow students, Fordham women's basketball sent its five graduating student-athletes off in style with a 68-57 win over Davidson on Saturday inside the Rose Hill Gym. With the win, the Rams complete the regular season with a 17-9 record overall and 8-6 in Atlantic 10 play, while the Wildcats fall to 15-13 and 6-10, respectively.
"This has been such a great group to coach." Head coach
Stephanie Gaitley, "It's a special group of seniors that makes this year's success mean even more. We are looking forward to building off of this in the Atlantic 10 tournament."
Fordham led for over 38 minutes; Davidson took a brief one-point lead, 13-12, midway through the first quarter, but it was all Rams otherwise. The hosts kicked the game off emphatically with a 10-0 run, capped by
Kendell Heremaia three, prompting an early Davidson timeout. Out of the break, the Wildcats rallied with 13-2 run to take that one-point lead but it was short-lived. Less than a minute late,
Asiah Dingle's bucket gifted the lead back to Fordham for good. The two schools traded baskets in the second until a quick freshman 5-0 run, a
Millie Prior layup and a three by
Colleen McQuillen, broke things open a bit, 28-20. The Rams entered the half up, 32-26.
Fordham reached double figures quickly into the third quarter with a 5-0 run over the opening three minutes – a
Kaitlyn Downey layup and another Heremaia triple. Downey made it a 14-point game, 40-26, with a three-point play, before Issy Morgan broke the scoreless stretch for Davidson near the four-minute mark. The Wildcats clawed back to a seven-point deficit, 51-44, leading to a Fordham timeout. Out of the break, Dingle hit a pair of a free throws and Downey drained a three to bring it back to double digits, where it stayed for most of the rest of regulation.
Anna DeWolfe led the way with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting and four steals, matching a career-high, while playing all 40 minutes. Dingle added 15 points and a team-high four assists, while Downey chipped in 14 efficient points, shooting 6-of-10, with eight rebounds and three assists. Heremaia also had three dimes to go with nine points and seven rebounds, while
Megan Jonassen led the squad with nine boards, plus a block and a steal. Prior added four points, a season-high three assists, and two rebounds over 16 minutes off the bench.
The Rams shot 41.3% overall to Davidson's 40.3% and hit 12-of-13 free throws. They also won the rebounding battle, 36-27, with a 12-6 margin on the offensive glass. Fordham committed just nine turnovers to the Wildcats' 13.
Fordham is locked into the #6 seed and will play on Thursday, March 3, at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of #11 Saint Louis and #14 George Mason.
