PITTSBURGH, PA. - Opening the Atlantic 10 portion of the calendar with a single game early in the month, Fordham University women's basketball heads to Pittsburgh to battle Duquesne Tuesday night. Tip off is set for 6:00 p.m. and broadcast live on ESPN+.

Fordham Fast Pass

• Fordham enters play 5-3 with victories over Adelphi and UAlbany the first week of the campaign.

• Women's basketball won three consecutive games after defeating Saint Peter's Tuesday, 80-46, following victories over UMass Lowell and Georgian Court the week before, but are coming off a loss to Maine last time out.

• Fordham is one of four Atlantic 10 teams opening conference play Tuesday night.

• Taylor Donaldson was tabbed A-10 Player of the Week following a dominant week, led by a career-high 35 points on 12-of-19 shooting with seven three pointers against Saint Peter's.

• Fordham tallied at least 17 dimes in their three consecutive wins

• The Rams have tallied double digit steals in six of the first eight games of the season, averaging an even 11.0 per game thus far.

• Fordham is averaging four rebounds more per game than their opponents, collecting 37.9 on average compared to 33.8 by opposing teams

• Matilda Flood leads the teams with 18 steals, and sits second the team through the early portion of the year, averaging 5.5 rebounds per game.

Flipping Through the Record Book

Dating back to the 1996 season, Fordham and Duquesne have dueled on 34 prior occasions with the Dukes holding the advantage in the all-time series 22-12. Fordham however have won the last three meetings between the two teams, most recently winning by 21 in The Bronx a year ago.

Early Action in the A-10

One of two games tipping off to officially open the league side of the calendar across the Atlantic 10, Dayton travels to Davidson to complete the Dec. 5 doubleheader in women's basketball. The remainder of the league will not open conference play until after the holiday break, with 14 of 15 teams in action just before the turn of the calendar to 2024.

Donaldson Dominates

Following an exhilarating week that saw her soar to a new career-high in points Tuesday night, senior Taylor Donaldson was tabbed as the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week Monday afternoon.

In a pair of games, last week Donaldson averaged 28.0 points per game, while shooting an even 50% both from the field and beyond the arc. The Newbury Park, Calif. native would also average six rebounds and 3.5 steals per game, as she began the week with a career-high 35 point showing as the Rams defeated Saint Peter's 80-46. Shooting 12-for-19 in the game with seven three pointers, the performance marked the most points scored by a Fordham player since 2018.

Dueling Duquesne

At 3-3 on the year, Duquesne have taken wins over Niagara, Howard, & Pitt, but are coming off back to back losses at Bowling Green and at home against Delaware. With three players currently averaging more than 10 points per game, Amaya Hamilton leads the Dukes on offense at 13.5 per game, while Megan McConnell is scoring 12.0 points per game while also leading the team in steals and assists.

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 last weekend averaging over 11 steals per game as a team, Fordham was 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 were 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.

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.

Next Stop

Fordham women's basketball continues its three game road trip Thursday night in Upstate New York when the Rams take on Siena at 7:00 p.m. in Loudonville.