NEW YORK  – Returning home to kickoff the final week of the regular season, Fordham University women's basketball hosts La Salle Wednesday night at the Rose Hill Gym.

Turn Up and Tune In

• The Rams and Explorers battle in the penultimate game of the season at 7:00 PM on ESPN+ and SNY, with Andrew Bogusch and Andrew Posadas on the call.

• Covering the WFUV Radio side for the home finale on YouTube Live, with Madi Dembele, Griffin Stevenson, and Mary Hannah Gallagher handling the on-air duties.

• Prior to the game the Rams will honor three departing players, Taya Davis, Taylor Donaldson, and Irene Murua, along with a trio of senior team managers, with the ceremony set to begin at approximately 6:35 p.m.

Rams at a Glance

• Fordham (14-13, 8-8 A-10) fell on the road at Dayton, 62-57 in a close game from start to finish Saturday afternoon.

• 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 last Wednesday before heading to Dayton Saturday, and hosting La Salle this Wednesday night.

• La Salle comes to The Bronx just two weeks after the Rams ventured down to Philadelphia, claiming a 61-58 win over the Explorers back on Feb. 12.

• The Rams have limited six of their last 10 opponents to under 60 points, and have held 15 teams this season to 59 points or less.

Playoff Implications

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

• Entering Wednesday, the Rams are mathematically in contention for anywhere between the No. 8-11 seeds, with seeds 10 and 11 playing opening round games.

• Wednesday's game will serve as crucial in the league standings, as a win would ensure that Fordham will earn one of the top nine seeds in the A-10 Championship, avoiding playing a game on the opening day of the tournament, set to begin exactly one week from Wednesday.

• A loss could put the Rams in danger of being passed by VCU or Saint Louis, who would need to win out their respective final two games of the year.

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 2-10 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 13th best in the entire nation averaging 15.4 offensive rebounds per game.

• On top of their dominance on the offensive glass, the Rams overall have pulled down 38.81 total rebounds per game, placing the Rams third in the A-10 and 73rd in the nation. 

• Defensively, Fordham sits 71st in the NCAA and third in the A-10 forcing 18.48 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.

• Allowing just 60.7 points per game to opponents, the Rams hold the eighth best scoring defense in the A-10, good for 95th best in Division I.

Leading the Herd

• Pacing the offense and ranked third in the A-10 at 16.6 points per game, Donaldson enters the weekend leading the conference averaging 2.68 three pointers made per game, 22nd best of any player in the nation, and sits third in the A-10 with 2.09 steals per game.

• Irene Murua leads the team and sits fifth in the league in field goal percentage, shooting 54.5% from the field this season.

• Murua also paces the Rams on the glass, pulling down 6.4 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 67th 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.

Familiar Foes

• Meeting for the second time in the last 14 days, Fordham and La Salle played a thriller in Philadelphia back on the 12th, with the Rams pulling out a 61-58 win in the closing seconds.

• Nailing a clutch three pointer with 9.7 seconds to play, Chaé Harris tallied the game winning basket to lift her team to victory, capping a night that saw Harris tie her career high with 22 points, on 8-of-16 shooting, and scored eight of the Rams' final 14 points down the stretch, along with five rebounds and a pair of steals.

• On a career night for a number of players, three Rams tied or set career-highs, while as a team the Maroon and White broke a program record with 19 steals that night. 

• Harris led a trio of Fordham players in double figures, with Taylor Donaldson finishing with 17 points and six rebounds, while Irene Murua added 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting along with four rebounds and a career high six steals.

• Posting a career high as well, Taya Davis dished out 13 dimes Wednesday night, scoring or assisting on 15 of the Rams' 24 made baskets, while also posting five steals and a pair of blocks. 

• Davis' 13 assists that night were the most by a Fordham player since Cami Cass dished out 15 against Bucknell on Feb. 16, 1991, and the first time a Ram has tallied 10+ dimes since Erin Rooney did so twice during the 2013-14 campaign.

Matchup History

• Despite the Rams snapping a four game losing streak to the Explorers with their win earlier this month, La Salle owns a 38-17 record in the all-time series, including wins in both meetings last season by double digits in each.

• The last Fordham win prior to two weeks ago came back on Feb. 1, 2020, a 62-45 win for the Rams in The Bronx, in what was an eight game winning streak to that point for the Maroon and White over La Salle.

Exploring La Salle

• At 8-21 on the year, the Explorers sit at just 2-14 in league play, 14th in the league standings.

• Having played just two other opponents since last facing the Rams, La Salle is still looking to snap a now six game losing streak and still seeking their first win of the month to close February, with the last victory coming on Jan. 29 against St. Bonaventure.

• Ashleigh Connor paces the Explorers offense at 11.3 points per game,ahead of Aryss Macktoon at 10.3 per game.

Last Time Out

• Despite keeping pace with their opponents throughout the game, Fordham saw Dayton do just enough to keep themselves ahead to take a 62-57 win in the Buckeye State Saturday afternoon.

• The Flyers led for the majority of the contest, though Fordham kept the game within two possessions for much of the way.

• Taya Davis paced the Rams offense with 20 points and five assists along with a pair of steals, joined in double figures by Irene Murua who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Next Stop

• Closing the regular season with a trip down to NASCAR country, Fordham heads to North Carolina Saturday afternoon for a meeting with Davidson at 1:00 p.m.