By Sam Belden
Fordham’s game against Massachusetts was a close one, but the Rams took control during overtime. (Andrea Garcia/The Fordham Ram)
On Thursday night in the Richmond Coliseum, Fordham Women’s Basketball picked up its biggest win of the season. Playing in their first game of the Atlantic 10 Championship, the sixth-seeded Rams knocked off 11th-seeded Massachusetts in overtime, winning 73-62. On Friday, Fordham will face Duquesne in the quarterfinals.
Senior forward and leading scorer Samantha Clark found herself in foul trouble near the end of the game, but other Rams picked up the slack. In particular, junior forward Danielle Burns scored 28 points, while junior forward Danielle Padovano added nine and grabbed 11 rebounds.
The game was an extremely even one. The score was even at the end of each half, and neither side held a lead greater than five points until the third quarter. The Rams led by eight with just 2:46 remaining, but the Minutewomen battled their way back, going on a 9-1 run to end the game. Fordham’s failure to make free throws ended up being a big difference-maker — the Rams converted on just one attempt in regulation. With 26 seconds remaining in the game, Clark missed one that would have proved decisive. Instead, the two teams headed to overtime with the score tied at 52.
With 3:17 remaining in overtime and Fordham leading by two, Clark fouled out, but the Rams were able to adjust. They finished the game on a 15-6 run to win by a margin of 11 and advance to the next round.
“We knew it was going to take a heroic effort tonight,” said head coach Stephanie Gaitley. “We’re a different team when Sam is off the court. The kids aren’t used to it, so we had to keep it fun and just say let’s play.”
On Friday, Fordham will face its next opponent: Duquesne. The third-seeded Dukes finished the regular season with a 13-3 conference record and a 25-4 overall record. The two teams will face off in the Richmond Coliseum on Friday, March 4 at 7 p.m.
