NEW YORK – Closing out the non-conference calendar with a pair of games in California, Fordham University women's basketball heads to No. 24 Cal for the Raising the B.A.R. (basketball, activism, representation) Invitational.
Turn Up and Tune In
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Saturday's game against Cal will serve as the first of four games at the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational, with tipoff set for 8:00 p.m. EST, and will air live ACCNX with Dave Benz, Ashlee Jones and Layshia Clarendon on the call.
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Sunday will see the Rams take on either Temple or Xavier. The consolation game will tip at 6:00 p.m. with the Championship matchup to follow at 8:00 p.m.
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WFUV joins the Rams in California for the radio call of both games on YouTube Live with Chris Carrino and Madi Dembele bringing fans the action.
Raising the B.A.R.
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"Cal head coach Charmin Smith Charmin created the tournament to elevate the voices, stories and people in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Justice space and highlight the lack of diversity in women's basketball college coaching. All three teams invited to the tournament each year are led by Black female head coaches."
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Amidst a plethora of initiatives throughout the weekend, Head Coach Bridgette Mitchell will join the head coaches from Cal, Xavier, and Temple for an in-person panel "EmpowerHER" - a celebration of black women within sport on Dec. 20 at 7 p.m. in the Haas Pavilion .
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Each of the four teams will also be fundraising for a local charity of its choice. For every point each team scores over the two-day tournament, fans can pledge a monetary amount (10 cents per point, 25 cents per point, $1 per point, etc.) or a flat donation. Fans can donate HERE, with Fordham raising funds to support POTS (Part of the Solution) in The Bronx.
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An all-tournament team and tournament MVP will be announced directly after the championship game.
Rams at a Glance
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Winners of four straight and five of their last six games, Fordham (6-3) heads to the Golden State looking to cap off the non-conference side of the schedule on a high-note, with the A-10 opener coming just before the New Year next weekend.
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This weekend will mark the first trip to California for Fordham women's basketball since the 2012-13 season, when they played a pair of games at San Francisco and Pacific. Prior to that the Rams ventured to California during the 1996-97 season when they defeated San Diego and Loyola Marymount.
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The Rams' Dec. 4 victory at Yale marked the 50th victory of Head Coach Bridgette Mitchell's career.
Stack 'em Up
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Ranked 41st in the nation in scoring defense, the Rams are holding teams to just 55.6 points per game this season, and have allowed more than 60 points scored just twice through the first nine games of the year.
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Fordham also enters the weekend 51st in the nation in field goal percentage defense, limiting teams to just 36.5% shooting.
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Fordham has gotten its own points on a number of second chance opportunities on the year, posting 13.8 offensive rebounds per game through the first nine games of the season, sitting 73rd in the nation, and sit 75th in the country in rebounding margin at +5.6.
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Sitting 91st in the country, Fordham is averaging 9.6 steals per game, collecting a season-best 13 on two occasions against Adelphi and Cal St. Fullerton in the first two games of the campaign.
Key Contributions
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Taylor Donaldson leads the Fordham offense in points per game (16.0) and steals per game (2.2), shooting 40.2% from the field and 34.5% from three-point range.
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Those stats place Donaldson fifth in steals per game in the A-10 in points per game, seventh in points per game and 11th in three point percentage, along with placing her third in the league and 36th in the nation at 2.71 three pointers made per game.
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Irene Murua has been a key addition for the Maroon and White on offense, shooting 57.4% from the field for the year while averaging 11.7 points per game, and leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per game as well, pulling down nearly even numbers on the offensive and defensive glass.
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Murua also sits eighth best in the A-10 shooting 78.8% from the free throw line (26-of-33).
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Taya Davis has helped control the Fordham offense, dishing out 3.9 assists per game, sixth best of any player in the A-10, while also posting 1.7 steals per game, second best on the team.
During the Streak
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Over their four game win streak, the Fordham offense has lit up the floor, averaging 71.8 points per game, outscoring opponents by an average of 21.0 points per game.
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Shooting 46.2% from the field as a team, the Rams have also pulled down 42.3 rebounds per game during the win streak, outpacing their opponents by 10.5 rebounds per game.
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Fordham is averaging 9.8 steals per game and 4.3 blocks per game on the defensive end over the streak.
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With a trio of Rams averaging double-figures, Donaldson is averaging 15.8 points per game, ahead of Murua at 14.5, and Chae Harris, who played in each of the last three games, at an even 10.0.
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Six players have attempted more than 10 shots over the wins streak, while posting a field goal percentage of 50% or better, with Murua leading the way on an efficient 71.9% shooting on 23-of-32 shooting from the field.
Vs. No. 24 Cal
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Cal enters the weekend 11-1 (1-0 ACC) earning the team its first AP Top 25 ranking since 2019, earning the No. 24 spot in the National Poll on Monday.
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The Bears have made the second most three pointers of any team in the country and place 11th in the nation in three pointers made per game.
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With five players averaging at least 10.0 points per game, Lulu Twidale and Ionna Krimili lead the Cal offense with 15.6 and 15.4 points respectively
Vs. Xavier
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At 4-6 on the year Xavier enters the weekend looking to snap a four game losing streak, falling to Cincinnati, 60-48, on Dec. 15.
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Meri Kanerva and Loren Christie lead the team at 11.1 points per game, with Christine also ranked 23 in the nation in total blocks with 23 on the year.
Vs. Temple
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Temple heads to California at 5-4 on the year, last playing on Dec. 15 in a 68-46 loss to No. 15/16 West Virginia.
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Tiarra East leads the Owls offense with 16.4 points per game, while Anissa Rivera places second at 8.7 points per game while leading the rebounds effort at 7.9 per game.
Interborough Showdown
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Pulling away early in the first quarter, Fordham once again saw its defense rise to the occasion the rest of the way, taking an Interborough clash with LIU, 62-43 on Dec. 8 at the Rose Hill Gym.
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In another dominant effort under the basket, the Rams outscored the Sharks 36-12 in the paint, and as a team held the Sharks to the fewest points allowed to any opponent this season with just 43, with LIU shooting just 28.0% shooting from the field.
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Taylor Donaldson led Maroon and White with 14 points on the afternoon and three steals, while Karissa Antoine finished in double figures for the first time in her collegiate career with 10 points and a team best eight rebounds, along with tallying two blocks.
Next Stop
