BRONX, N.Y. – Closing their long early season homestand Saturday afternoon Fordham University women's basketball hosts Maine at the Rose Hill Gym. Tipoff against the Black Bears is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and broadcast live on both the YES Network and ESPN+.
Fordham Fast Pass
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Fordham enters play 5-2 with victories over Adelphi and UAlbany the first week of the campaign.
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Women's basketball looks to make it four straight in a row after defeating Saint Peter's Tuesday, 80-46, following victories over UMass Lowell and Georgian Court the week before.
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Saturday will mark the third game this season against an America East opponent, with Maine picked to finish second in the conference's preseason poll.
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Taylor Donaldson led the way with a career-high 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting with seven three pointers, tied for the most points by a Fordham player since 2018.
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Rose Nelson also tallied a new personal best with 12 points in the win Tuesday night
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The Rams currently sit amongst the national leaders in five statistical categories
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Fordham has tallied at least 17 dimes in three consecutive games, with over half of their made shots from the field credited with an assist last.
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The Rams have tallied double digit steals in six of the first seven games of the season, averaging 11.4 per game thus far.
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Fordham is averaging almost four more rebounds per game than their opponents, collecting 39.3 on average compared to 32.9 by opposing teams, and ranks tied for 70th in the nation in rebound margin pulling down 6.4/game more.
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Aminata Ly tallied the first double-double by a Fordham player this season, scoring 10 points and pulling down ten rebounds against Manhattan. Ly also paces the Rams' efforts on the glass, with 6.6 boards per contest.
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Matilda Flood leads the teams with 17 steals, and sits second the team through the early portion of the year, averaging 5.6 rebounds per game.
National Numbers
As we enter the latter stages of the non-conference calendar, the Rams find themselves amongst the national leaders in a number of statistical categories. Entering the weekend averaging over 11 steals per game as a team, Fordham is ranked tied for 36th nationally as of Thursday, and sits 39th in the country in scoring defense, limiting opponents to just 54.4 points per contest.
In addition the Rams are tied for 44th in forced turnovers, causing 20.7 miscues by their opponents through the first seven games of the year. Fordham also placed 66th for blocks per game and currently stand in a tie for 70th in the nation in rebound margin, collecting 6.4 more rebounds per game than their opponents thus far.
Flipping Through the Record Book
Saturday's game marks the fifth time since the turn of the century that the Rams and Black Bears will square off in women's basketball, with the sides even at two wins apiece heading in. In what will be the third matchup to take place at the Rose Hill Gym, Fordham has won the last two meetings, 2018 in the Bronx and last season on the road in Orono, winning by six.
Clicking the Guide Button
In addition the A-10 deal with ESPN will see the full slate of 18 Fordham home games broadcast on the ESPN family of networks, the 2023-24 Rams will have 10 total games broadcast on regional sports networks. The Rams will play four games on a network familiar to Bronx sports fans, with the YES (Yankees Entertainment & Sports) Network hosting four games, two in non-conference play with the second being the Maine game, followed by a pair of A-10 dates in late January. Earlier this season the Rams also played the first of six broadcasts for Fordham women's basketball on Sportsnet New York (SNY).
Fordham will take on Davidson on National television Jan. 14, 2024 when the Rams and Wildcats square off from the Rose Hill Gym on CBS Sports Network.
Matchup with Maine
With eight games wrapped up already this season, Maine enters play at an even 4-4 on the season, and are coming off a narrow loss to #17 Indiana last time out 67-59. Three of the Black Bears' wins have come against Atlantic 10 opponents, having secured three wins over La Salle, UMass, and Rhode Island. Averaging 18.1 points per game, Anne Simon leads the Maine offense, shooting .433 for the year, and does it all for her side, leading with 20 steals, and sits second with 7.3 rebounds per game.
Making a House a Home
The 2023-24 calendar starts with a litany of home games for the Rams, who will play seven of their first eight games in the friendly confines of the Rose Hill Gym. With the lone trip out of The Bronx coming last weekend with a visit to Miami, Fordham will play five straight games at home from Nov. 16 to Dec. 2. That stretch began with the annual "Battle of the Bronx" when the Rams hosted Manhattan, the first of six games broadcast on SNY this season. Taking on Georgian Court just before Thanksgiving, Fordham took on UMass Lowell Saturday, followed by matchups with Saint Peter's and Maine this week.
Next Stop
Embarking on just the second road trip of the campaign, Fordham heads to Pittsburgh to open the Atlantic 10 slate Tuesday night at Duquesne.
