BRONX, NY --The Fordham women's basketball team went into halftime tied 39-39 with La Salle, but could not pull away in the second half and fell 72-69 to the Explorers in an end-to-end battle at home Wednesday.
The Rams (8-5, 0-2) had three players score in double figures, led by Alexis Black, who had 21 points, six assists and three steals. Ornella Niankan added 11 points, eight rebounds and two blocks and Lakresha Edwards chipped in with 11 points as well.
Ugne Sirtautaite pulled down three offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Fordham, grabbing 15 boards and turning them into 21 second chance points.
Fordham forced 22 La Salle turnovers while committing 18 themselves in Wednesday's game. The Rams turned those takeaways into 17 points on the other end of the floor. Emma Wilson-Saltos led the way individually with four steals.
How It Happened
After falling behind 15-8, Fordham went on a 6-0 run with 3:30 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Tia Morgan, to narrow its deficit to 15-14. La Salle answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Rams down 22-17 entering the second quarter.
La Salle kept adding to that lead, building a 36-25 advantage before Fordham went on a 9-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Kaila Berry, to narrow its deficit to 36-34. The Rams then kept gaining ground and tied the contest at 39-39 heading into halftime. Fordham forced seven La Salle turnovers in the period and turned them into seven points.
La Salle proceeded to claw their way ahead after halftime, leaving Fordham trailing 55-51 as the game entered the fourth quarter. Fordham played well near the basket, scoring six of its 12 points in the paint.
La Salle kept widening its lead in the fourth, constructing a 65-59 advantage before Fordham went on a 5-0 run, finished off by Precious Omoshola's layup, to shrink the deficit to 65-64 with 2:13 to go in the contest. La Salle responded and outscored the Rams the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 72-69. Fordham fired away from deep in the quarter, knocking down four shots to account for 12 of its 18 points.
Game Notes
» The Rams shared the ball well, recording an assist on 76 percent of made field goals.
» The Fordham bench came alive by adding 22 points to its scoring output.
» The Fordham defense forced 22 turnovers.
» Fordham cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
» Alexis Black led the Rams with a game-high 21 points.
» Fordham got a game-high eight rebounds from Ornella Niankan.
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This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
