Women's Basketball Accepts Invitation to WNIT, Will Host Bucknell on Friday Night

WNIT Release | Tournament Bracket
 
Fort Collins, Colo. -  The Fordham women's basketball team (18-10, 8-6) has secured a sixth consecutive postseason berth by accepting an invitation into the 2022 WNIT tournament, the program's fifth in the past six years and seventh overall under head coach Stephanie Gaitley. Fordham will host Bucknell on Friday, March 18, at 7 p.m. on ESPN+ and WFUV.
 
"I am so very proud of this group." Gaitley said, "It is really hard to be still playing at this time of year, but this team took the challenges of an aggressive out-of-conference schedule and proved we are one of the top teams still playing! GO RAMS!"
 
The Rams are currently 67^th in the NCAA's NET rankings, one of the top teams outside of the NCAA Tournament field. Fordham is also tops among its Atlantic 10 compatriots in average opponent NET, sitting 71^st with foes' averaging a 120 rank. Fordham finished its regular season with an 18-10 record, 8-6 in league play, to garner the six seed at last weekend's Atlantic 10 Championship in Wilmington, Del. The Rams defeated George Mason by 16 points but fell to eventual champions, Massachusetts, in a hard-fought battle.
 
Including the 2019-20 campaign being cut short due to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rams have earned a postseason berth every year since 2016-17. Since Coach Gaitley took over in 2011-12, the program has earned nine postseason berths in 11 years. Prior to her arrival, the program had just one since 1981, the 1994 Patriot League title and trip to the NCAAs.
 
Last week saw three Rams earn Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors as Anna DeWolfe was named to the First Team for a second straight year, Asiah Dingle earned a spot on the Third Team, and Kaitlyn Downey was selected to the All-Academic team for a second straight year, the first student-athlete in program history to do that twice.