CHICAGO  – Looking for their fourth straight win early in Atlantic 10 play, Fordham University women's basketball heads to the Windy City for a Saturday afternoon tilt at Loyola Chicago

Turn Up and Tune In

• The Rams take on the Ramblers at 2:00 p.m. EST on ESPN+.

• Chris Carrino and Tucker Austin make the trip to Chicago with the Rams for the WFUV Radio call on YouTube Live.

Rams at a Glance

• Fordham (9-6, 2-1) is riding a three-game win streak to ring in the New Year, most recently defeating George Washington Wednesday afternoon, 61-53. 

• The Rams defeated Richmond on Jan. 2, 80-78, before a buzzer-beating victory on the road at Duquesne on Jan. 5, and Wednesday's win over the Revolutionaries.

• Over the wins streak, Fordham is averaging 68.3 points per game, shooting 43% as a team from the floor and an even 40% from three point range.

• Saturday's game in Chicago marks the front end of a two-game road trip for the Rams, who will next head to Philadelphia for a Wednesday night clash with Saint Joseph's.

By the Numbers

• 56 - Fordham has only allowed more than 56 points scored twice in any of their nine wins on the year, holding LIU to a season-low 43 points on Dec. 8.

• 60 - The magic number to victory this season, the Rams are 9-2 when scoring at least 60 points.

• 11 - The Rams went the first 11 games of the year without allowing 70 or more points to any opponent, and have held eight teams this season below 60 points.

• 8 - Eight different Rams enter the weekend averaging at least 2.8 rebounds per game.

• 3-1 -  Fordham has opened conference play 3-1 six times in the last seven seasons. A win Saturday would mark the fourth time since the 2019-20 season the Rams have started A-10 play 5-1.

• 4 - Wednesday saw the third straight game with four different players in double figures, marking the first time since the 2019-20 season the Rams have tallied three games in a row with four players tallying 10 or more points.

Where the Rams Rank

• Fordham has crashed the offensive glass all season long, ranked fourth in the A-10 and 41st in the nation averaging 14.3 offensive rebounds per game, and overall rank sixth in the league at 37.93 total rebounds per game.

• Defensively, the Rams defense has wreaked havoc on its opponents, placing third in the A-10 and 57th in the country forcing an even 20.00 turnovers per game, and hold the fifth best turnover margin in the league at 1.48.

• The Maroon and White have also collected 9.5 steals per game, fifth in the conference and 99th in the nation.

Leading the Herd

• Taylor Donaldson has led the Rams in scoring in seven of the last eight games, and sits amongst the top-50 players in the nation in a plethora of statistical categories, including points per game (46th), steals per game (35th), three pointers per game (10th), and total three pointers made (39th).

• Pacing the offense and ranked second in the A-10 at 18.2 points per game, Donaldson enters the weekend leading the conference in three pointers made per game at 3.00 and sits fourth in the A-10 and 35th in the nation in steals per game at 2.69.

• Irene Murua leads the team and sits third in the league in field goal percentage shooting 57.1% from the field this season. Murua also tops the Rams rebounding numbers with 6.5 per contest, placing her 12th best in the conference, 

• Taya Davis sits fifth in the A-10 and 94th in the nation at 4.2 assists per game to lead the team in that category.

• Chaé Harris has been consistent whether in the starting five or coming off the bench, making 10 starts while averaging 8.4 points per game, 2.3 rebounds per game, 1.9 assists per game, and 1.1 steals per game.

Matchup History

• In just four meetings since the Ramblers joined the league ahead of the 2022-23 season, the two sides sit even at two wins apiece in the all-times series.

• Saturday will mark the first meeting between the two teams in Chicago, with the first three being held at the Rose Hill Gym.

• Loyola Chicago claimed a pair of wins over the Rams last season, taking a regular season victory in The Bronx, before the two sides met in Henrico, Va. at the A-10 tournament with the Ramblers narrowly escaping the Rams with a 53-52 win on Mar. 7, 2024.

• Fordham claimed the first conference meeting between the two teams in 2023, 80-64 in The Bronx.

• The only other meeting prior to that, came on Jan. 25, 1990, a 79-68 win at the Rose Hill Gym.

Rating the Ramblers

• At 10-6 on the year, the Ramblers are 2-3 in league play, one of four teams to open A-10 action on Dec. 3, falling to La Salle. 

• Since that loss, Loyola Chicago has won five of its last seven games, but fell 62-44 to VCU last time out.

• Ranked sixth in the A-10 and 92nd in the country, the Ramblers are limiting teams to just 59.8 points per game.

• Loyola Chicago is also fourth in the league turnovers forced per game and 62nd in the nation.

• With a trio of players averaging just shy of 10.0 points per game, Naelle Bernard and Emma Theodorsson lead the Ramblers with 9.6 points per game, just ahead of Jess Finney at 9.4 points per game.

Getting Past GW

• Flipping the script on their opponents for the third game in a row, the Rams put together yet another second half rally to take down George Washington 61-53, Wednesday at the Rose Hill Gym.

• In front of a sold-out crowd of over 2,800 local elementary and middle school students from the New York City area, the game turned just before time expired in the third, as Chaé Harris sank five straight free throws with 0.8 remaining following a three-point foul and technical foul against George Washington, giving the Rams a four-point lead, which they held the rest of the way. 

• Fordham was led by 18 points from Taylor Donaldson, followed by 14 from Harris, who for the game was 3-of-4 from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the charity stripe. 

• Taya Davis finished just behind that pair with 11 points, marking her third straight game in double figures, and Irene Murua did the same with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting including a made three pointer.

• Fordham recorded nearly two-thirds of its points in the second half alone, with 39 points in the final 20 minutes of action, and committed just 14 turnovers on the night, the second fewest in a game this season.

Next Stop

• The Rams head to Philadelphia for a meeting with Saint Joseph's Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m.