HENRICO, VA. - Beginning their quest for the 2024 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship, No. 9 seeded Fordham University women's basketball takes on No. 8 Loyola Chicago Thursday morning at 11:00 a.m. 

Catch the Rams

• Thursday's game will air live on ESPN+ along with the WFUV Radio broadcaster featuring Lou Orlando and Julia Moss.

• The Henrico Sports and Events Center will host the entirety of the 2024 Women's Basketball Championship, which tipped off Wednesday morning with first round games.

Matchup History

• In just three all-time meetings between the two sides, Fordham holds a 2-1 lead over Loyola Chicago with the first game being played in 1990, prior to the Ramblers joining the A-10 last season.

• Loyola Chicago won the last meeting earlier this season 73-64 at the Rose Hill Gym.

Fordham Fast Pass

• Ending the year with six wins in their last seven games, the Rams (12-15, 7-9 A-10) shot up the standings to take the No. 9 seed in the tournament, losing out in a head-to-head tiebreaker with Loyola for the No. 8 seed.

• Taylor Donaldson was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team lineup Tuesday afternoon.

• Fordham has won 10 games this year at the Rose Hill Gym, marking the 11th consecutive season with double digit wins at home, with the exception of the Pandemic year when the Rams went 8-1 at home and played just 18 games overall.

• The Rams now sit 56th in the country in offensive rebounds per game, the fourth best in the conference at 13.2 per game.

• Continuing to sit amongst the national leaders in steals per game, the Rams have led the A-10 conference all season, entering the weekend averaging 9.6 per game, which ranks 52nd in the nation.

• Fordham is forcing opponents into 17.68 turnovers per game, the fourth best in the conference and 81st best nationally.

• The Rams place fifth in the conference in blocks per game averaging 3.5 per contest.

• Taylor Donaldson continues to lead the Rams' offense, sitting first in the A-10 and 58th in the nation in points per game (18.0) and first in three pointers made per game (2.88) which places her 14th amongst all Division I players. She also places second in the league in steals per game (2.23) placing her 71st in the country.

Run it Back Recap

• One of the highest scoring games in program history, Fordham fell to La Salle in a shootout, 93-83 Saturday at the Rose Hill Gym.

• The Rams and Explorers combined for 176 points on the day, the most combined points in a Fordham women's basketball game since Jan. 4, 1997, a 94-82 loss in overtime at St. Bonaventure. 

• Saturday's game also saw the most combined points in a regulation game since Mar. 1, 1991, a 103-75 win over Bucknell in the Patriot League tournament.

• The high scoring affair saw the two teams attempt a combined 122 field goals, with 62 of those coming from beyond the arc. The Rams would out rebound the Explorers 39-28 overall, including an impressive 18-to-7 advantage on the offensive glass.

• Fordham as a team shot 43.9% from the floor, and 38.5% from three point range on the night, as Taylor Donaldson led the way on senior day with 26 points and nine rebounds, along with three steals and two assists. 

Loyola Chicago Low Down

• Loyola Chicago (14-15, 8-10 A-10) heads into the tournament coming off a loss to George Washington in the regular season finale.

• Sam Galanopoulos was named to the All-Conference third team lineup, ranking as one of the top scorers in the A-10. 

• Sitori Tanin is averaging the fourth most blocks in the conference at 1.5 blocks per game and sits as one of the top rebounders in the league as well.

Next Stop

• The winner of Thursday's contest will take on top-seeded Richmond Friday at 11:00 in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship at the Henrico Sports and Events Center. 

• Stay tuned to the Fordham Women's Basketball social channels for the latest updates on playoff seeding and game information.