The Fordham Rams have come a long way since game one back on November 9th against the University of Albany. At 22-7 and 11-2 in conference, the Rams finished the regular season as the third best team in the A-10. Its been a historic year for the Maroon and White, but it is far from over as Fordham prepares for the Atlantic 10 tournament in Philadelphia this weekend.
Fordham is peaking at the right time, and a chance at a first round bye will be at stake as Fordham closes its conference season with a pair of contests this week. With a chance to become the "Super Rams" (against Rhode Island) and to prove their legitimacy on their home court (Saint Joseph’s), last week was a telling one for Fordham’s chances come tournament time.
It would be easy for a team to be content with securing an A10 berth with four games remaining in the conference slate. Of course the Fordham Women’s Basketball team isn’t nearly done completing one of the most drastic turnarounds in the nation just yet.
Prior to Sunday’s matchup against #18 Dayton, the Fordham Rams Women’s Basketball program had never beaten a top 25 opponent. The Rams remained winless against nationally ranked opponents with a tough 68-57 loss. Despite only trailing by 3 points at the half, the Maroon and White just didn’t have enough to take the next step in the Atlantic 10.
It has been 18 years since the Fordham Rams Women’s Basketball program had a winning season. Sunday’s 30-point victory over VCU guaranteed that the Maroon and White will be over .500 for the first time since the 1994-1995 season. Fordham now has five wins in the Atlantic 10, matching the most that any Rams team has ever had in conference play. This is just one of the many reasons why second year coach Stephanie Gaitley is smiling about her team.
Fordham Athletic Director has been a busy man lately, but on Saturday he joined me on One on One to give his monthly assessment of Fordham Athletics.
A split of a two game conference road trip would be considered a major success a year ago. After all, the Rams only won one of their seven conference road games in 2012. In 2013, however, the achievement is disappointing for a new look team with a new found confidence.
Riding the momentum of their victory over Charlotte in the Atlantic 10 opener, the Fordham Rams Women’s Basketball program used the friendly confines of the Rose Hill Gym to continue their best start ever in conference play. The Rams sit atop the A-10 standings at 3-0 with the nationally ranked Dayton Flyers and the Duquesne Dukes.
Fordham Athletic Director David Roach called into One on One on Saturday, January 12th to talk about the state of Fordham Athletics. This was the first edition of what will be a monthly occurrence. Roach will talk to us on One on One on the first Saturday of every month.
Despite shooting 6-35 from beyond the arc and getting outrebounded by 22 on the glass, the Fordham Rams fell just three points short of defeating Big East powerhouse Marquette this past weekend. The Rams are now 5-2 following the loss, meaning that for the second straight season Fordham has started the season by winning five of its first seven contests. However, as Chris Marasco and I talked about with Head Coach Stephanie Gaitley, this year’s squad has a completely different feel.
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