With Wednesday’s win over the Xavier Musketeers, the Fordham Rams remain undefeated in-conference for the season. The win broke a long streak for the Rams, having lost to Xavier in each of their last 17 contests. The team’s record now stands at 14-5, and the team hasn’t lost since late December.  It was their third-straight win by seven points or greater. Fordham is one of four Atlantic 10 Conference (A 10) teams that remain undefeated in conference play, and only the Duquesne Dukes equal them in conference wins (four).

The win over the struggling conference opponent was not without its problems. After pulling ahead early by a score of 10 to 4, the Rams allowed Xavier to come roaring back. The Musketeers went on a 14-0 run that saw Fordham shut out for a period of more than eight minutes, making it 18 to 10. Guard Arielle Collins, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’13, sent the Rams to the locker room with a buzzer-beater, cutting the Xavier lead to four just before half.

The second half began with some tight play and a few lead changes, with Fordham taking the lead back four minutes into the period on a 9-2 run, due largely to the efforts of forward Samantha Clark, FCRH ’16, who scored four points during that span.  Eventually, Xavier knotted up the score at 33 with less than six minutes to play.

It was at this point that the Rams took control of the game. Guard Erin Rooney, FCRH ’13, who scored five of the team’s first 10 in the opening half, sank three free throws to put the Rams ahead, a lead that they would never relinquish. Leading by as much as ten in the period, the game ended with Fordham winning by a score of 48-41. Rooney led all scorers with 16 points. The freshman Clark tallied nine points and eight rebounds, and Collins turned in a top-tier defensive effort with four steals.

The Fordham Rams travel to play their next contest at Duquesne University, where they look to knock off the rival Dukes and keep both their undefeated conference record and winning streak alive.