NEW YORK – For the second time this season, the Rams and Dukes traded bucket for bucket from the opening tip to the final horn, with Fordham University women's basketball sweeping the season series with Duquesne in a 56-53 thriller at the Rose Hill Gym.
In a game that saw nine ties, the lead changed hands 15 times Wednesday night, neither side pulled ahead by more than eight points at any point in the game, and neither garnered more than a seven-point scoring run at any point in the game. A true end-to-end thriller, the two sides spent nearly 10 full minutes of game action tied, with Fordham surging back with the help of 33 points off the bench, compared to just 12 by Duquesne.
Fordham held the Dukes off the board for the final 5:36 of the fourth quarter, limiting them to just four free throws down the stretch, scoring seven of the final nine points to close the game.
Chaé Harris tallied the go-ahead basket with 1:02 remaining to put the Rams up 54-53, before Irene Murua sealed it with a pair of free throws in the closing seconds. Harris led the Rams with 15 points on the night along with four rebounds and a pair of steals, leading three Rams in double figures.
Rose Nelson tallied 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting and five rebounds, while also posting a pair of blocks, while Kaila Berry tallied her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, with her 11 boards a career high. In all eight different Rams contributed to the final scoreline.
The Rams now sit tied for seventh place in the A-10 standings, alongside Dayton at 8-7 in league play with three games to go before the postseason, claiming the head-to-head tiebreaker with Duquesne if necessary at seasons end.
A slow start to the scoring for both sides, the score sat at just 6-4 Rams through five minutes of play, before each side doubled its total in the first minute out of the media timeout, ending the quarter with Duquesne leading 16-14.
Fordham tallied three of the first four makes from the floor to open the second, but the Dukes would answer with four of the next five buckets to take a six point lead with four minutes to play in the half, and held that advantage into the halftime break.
Outscoring Duquesne 30-22 in the second half, the Maroon and White rallied back quickly out of the locker room, using seven unanswered points to level the score at 33, and traded points through the end of the frame, tied at 41-all heading to the fourth.
Neither side went ahead by more than four points in the final quarter, with the leading changing hands six times. Trailing by one with 2:36 to play, Duquesne sank a pair of free throws to pull ahead 53-52, ahead of Harris' winning pull up jumper with 1:02 to go put Fordham in front for the final time.
Hitting the road for another game against an opponent they've seen before, the Rams make a return trip to Dayton, Ohio for a meeting with the Flyers Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
