NEW YORK  – Hitting the road with their sights set on the Buckeye State, Fordham University women's basketball heads to Dayton Saturday afternoon.

Turn Up and Tune In

• The Rams take on the Flyers at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN+

• Covering the WFUV Radio side on YouTube Live, Tucker Austin and Madi Dembele make the trip along with the Rams for the call.

Rams at a Glance

• Fordham (14-12, 8-7 A-10) have won two of their last three games, claiming a pair of nailbiter victories over La Salle last week and over Duquesne, 56-53 last time out.

• Fordham closes the 2024-25 regular season with three of its last four games against opponents they faced earlier in the year, taking on Duquesne Wednesday before heading to Dayton Saturday, and hosting La Salle next Wednesday.

• The Rams have limited six of their last nine opponents to under 60 points, and have held 15 teams this season to 59 points or less.

Playoff Implications

• Fordham currently sits tied with Dayton for the No. 7 seed in the A-10 entering the midweek, with just three games left to play including Saturday, before the A-10's 15-teams descend on Henrico, Va. Mar. 5-9 for the 2025 Atlantic 10 Conference Championship.

• Saturday's game may serve as crucial in the league standings, as the winner would ensure that they will earn one of the top nine seeds in the A-10 Championship, avoiding playing a game on the opening day of the tournament, with the conference Champion being crowned exactly 15 days from Saturday.

• The losing team would sit at 8-8, needing both a VCU and Saint Louis loss to also escape a fifth game in the league tournament.

• If Saint Louis were to beat Duquesne, and VCU beat Richmond, that would put the Billikens, Dukes, and VCU in a three way tie for the No. 9 seed at 7-9 heading into the final two games of the season.

By the Numbers

• 56 - Fordham has only allowed more than 56 points scored three times in any of their 14 wins on the year, holding two teams below 50, limiting St. Bonaventure to 49 points, and holding LIU to a season-low 43 points on Dec. 8.

• 60 - The magic number to victory this season, the Rams Rams are 11-3 this season in games where they've scored at least 60 points, but sit at just 2-9 in games where their opponents reach that same plateau.

• 6 - Six different Rams enter the weekend averaging at least 3.1 rebounds per game.

• 11 - The Rams went the first 11 games of the year without allowing 70 or more points to any opponent.

Where the Rams Rank

• Fordham has crashed the offensive glass all season long, leading the A-10, sitting 15th best in the entire nation averaging 15.4 offensive rebounds per game, and hold a +3.7 rebounding margin, seventh best in the league and 91st best in Division I.

• On top of their dominance on the offensive glass, the Rams overall have pulled down 39.0 total rebounds per game, placing the Rams third in the A-10 and 67th in the nation. 

• Defensively, Fordham sits 69th in the NCAA and third in the A-10 forcing 18.54 turnovers per game.

• The Maroon and White have also picked 9.2 steals per game, fifth most of any team in the league and 92nd in the nation.

Leading the Herd

• Pacing the offense and ranked third in the A-10 at 16.6 points per game, Donaldson enters the weekend second in the conference averaging 2.68 three pointers made per game, 23rd best of any player in the nation, and third in the A-10 with 2.09 steals per game.

• Irene Murua leads the team and sits third in the league in field goal percentage, shooting 55.1% from the field this season.

• Murua also paces the Rams on the glass, pulling down 6.3 rebounds per game, continuing to place her 13th best in the conference, while also averaging 3.4 per game on the offensive end.

• Taya Davis leads the team with 4.5 assists per game, tied for second best in the A-10 and 69th best in the nation.

• Chaé Harris has been consistent whether in the starting five or coming off the bench, making 16 starts while averaging 9.2 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game, 1.4 assists per game, and 1.3 steals per game.

Matchup History

• Meeting the Flyers for the second time this season, Fordham claimed a 58-55 victory over Dayton at the Rose Hill Gym back on Jan. 18, with the Rams seeing three players finish in double figures in that games.

• The Rams claimed their third straight victory over the Flyers in as many years, though despite the recent success, Dayton owns a 27-11 all-time record against Fordham

• The two sides sit at 5-5 in the last ten meetings, dating back to 2018.

Dueling with Dayton

• Falling in four of their last five games, Dayton post an identical record to Fordham at 14-12 on the year and 8-7 in league play.

• Ivy Wolf and Arianna Smith tallied 17 and 14 points respectively for Dayton when the Flyers came to the Bronx last month, leading them on the year with 16.3 and 12.0 points per game, respectively. 

Last Time Out

• For the second time this season, the Rams and Dukes traded bucket for bucket from the opening tip to the final horn, as Fordham swept the season series over Duquesne with 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 either. 

• 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.

• The Rams 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. 

• In all eight different Rams contributed to the final scoreline with Harris leading the Rams with 15 points on the night along with four rebounds and a pair of steals, as three players finished 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.

Next Stop

• Playing their final home game, and the penultimate regular season game of the campaign, Fordham hosts La Salle Wednesday night at the Rose Hill Gym at 7:00 p.m., and will honor its three departing seniors prior to the game.