The Fordham women’s basketball team hung on to defeat the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rams on the road to improve to 2-1 in the Atlantic 10 (A10) conference. After taking a 15-point lead in the first half, Fordham’s offense stalled in the late stages but did enough to secure the 54-48 victory.

Since losing to La Salle University on Jan. 9, Fordham has won two conference games on the road. Head Coach Stephanie Gaitley attributed the loss to the team’s improved performances in recent days.

“I think our home loss to La Salle made us hungry for this road trip,” Gaitley said. “Now we need to take these games and continue to work on playing defense for 40 minutes. Super proud of this group!”

Though Fordham held a superior 10-4 overall record entering the game, VCU led in the A10 standings after two conference victories earlier this month. Both teams last competed on Jan. 12, when Fordham earned its first A10 victory of the season against George Mason University while VCU earned its first conference loss against the University of Massachusetts.

The game started with scores by both teams in the opening minute and remained competitive for a short time. With 7:32 remaining, Fordham had already taken three separate leads, but VCU responded each time, the last score coming on a second-chance three-pointer to tie the game at eight.

After finding early success, Virginia Commonwealth’s offense suddenly stalled, and the team only scored two more times in the first quarter. Fordham continued to roll, as Asiah Dingle, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’22, led the Rams with six points on a 12-4 run. The visitors from the Bronx led 20-12 after 10 minutes and showed no signs of stopping in the second quarter.

VCU’s painfully long scoring drought in the third was emblematic of the home team’s overall performance.

Fordham’s game plan against VCU was largely built on efficient shooting, which made the team’s lights-out performance in the first half all the more important. The team shot 57% from the field, a pace which proved unsustainable for the entire game but nevertheless gave the visiting Rams a 38-23 lead at halftime.

In the third quarter, Fordham’s offense finally faltered, as the team only managed to shoot with 26% accuracy on 15 attempts from the field. The eight-point quarter could have given VCU a chance back into the game, but the home team was even less productive. 

After suffering shooting woes for most of the first half, Virginia Commonwealth shot just 19% from the field in the third quarter and failed to score for seven straight possessions despite grabbing four offensive rebounds in that span. 

VCU’s painfully long scoring drought in the third was emblematic of the home team’s overall performance; the Rams earned 20 offensive rebounds in the game but only managed to convert four of them into points. With 10 minutes remaining, Fordham still led by 15, 46-31.

The Fordham Rams seem to be regaining their form within the A10 and are now tied for fifth in the conference.

Despite early scores in the fourth quarter by both teams, Fordham and VCU continued to struggle on offense, a massive benefit to the visiting Rams. With four minutes remaining, Virginia Commonwealth finally kicked into gear, going on an 11-2 run, but it wasn’t enough. Fordham managed to nurse its advantage in the closing stages for the team’s second conference win of the season, 54-48.

Though Anna DeWolfe, FCRH ’23, remains the team’s leading scorer on the season, the guard had a quiet day against VCU with just seven points on 15 field goal attempts. Instead, Dingle proved to be the team’s main producer, scoring on eight of 12 attempts for 19 points. Kendell Heremaia, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences ’22, was also a leader on the floor with 12 rebounds and 13 points.

After a surprising defeat to La Salle, the Fordham Rams seem to be regaining their form within the A10 and are now tied for fifth in the conference. They will not be able to depend on a 57% shooting half to win every game, however, and improved consistency will be important when they return to Rose Hill to take on George Washington University on Wednesday, Jan. 19.