The Fordham women’s basketball team were dealt their first defeat of the 2022-23 season on Nov. 13 against the University of Maryland (UM) Terrapins, 83-76. The Terrapins are now ranked 19th according to the Associated Press rankings and 21st by the USA Today Coaches Poll after the single-digit loss, both downward shifts from their positions before the win. The competition was close throughout, but the Rams struggled to keep up with their powerhouse adversaries. 

The Rams began this season with solid wins — this strongest outing so far was an 81-39 game against Saint Peter’s University on Nov. 10 — but their luck changed just three days later as they struggled to overcome Maryland’s lead. Although Fordham was expected to lose, they found success throughout the game. In the second quarter, the offense even managed to outscore the Terrapins but overall failed to maintain its lead.

Fordham’s star players have defined themselves well in the young season. Anna DeWolfe, Fordham College at Rose Hill (FCRH) ’23, led the team with 24 points; Kaitlyn Downey, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), ’24 chipped in 17; and Asiah Dingle, GSAS ’24, finished with 16.

Dingle started off the game with a made jump shot, but Fordham’s defeat was foreshadowed by the eight points that the Terrapins racked up within two minutes of the start.

For five minutes, the Rams kept the net dry as the scoreboard held up the score, 12-4 with Fordham trailing. With just over four minutes left in the first quarter, Megan Jonassen, GSAS ’24, made a jump shot and tightened Maryland’s lead to six.

Fordham was able to continue scoring despite poor shot selections and rebounding struggles, earning seven more points by the end of the quarter. Maryland on the other hand, capped off the quarter with two free throws by Diamond Miller, UM ’23, exiting the period 21-11. 

Both teams traded blows in the opening moments of the second quarter. Not 10 seconds had passed since the players returned to the court before DeWolfe found an opportunity for a jump shot and successfully made it. Only 23 seconds later, Faith Masonius, UM ’23, found room for a layup to recover Maryland’s double-digit lead. 

The Rams proved worthy competitors, and the final score reflected the back and forth as the ranked Terrapins escaped with a marginal 83-76 win.

The distance between the Terrapins and the Rams continued to grow. Only three minutes into the second quarter, Maryland comfortably stood 14 points ahead. But with 6:30 remaining on the clock, DeWolfe put in seven points in just over 60 seconds to cut the lead in half. 

Shots poured in from both teams, but Fordham’s defensive efforts shortened the Terrapin advantage to one point. In a decisive shift of momentum, the score stood 34-33 by the end of the first half of play.

More of the same continued in the third quarter. The Rams continued to trail behind the Terrapins by a slim margin. Miller began the quarter with two free throws, followed by Abby Meyers, UM ’23, sinking a jump shot. DeWolfe responded by rattling in a three, and Meyers struck back with another bucket. Downey then spotted up on the wing and sent in a shot of her own. By the end of this offensive battle, the score was 40-39. 

For the next five minutes in the quarter the Rams remained stagnant, as the Terrapins’ growing score taunted Fordham on the board, 54-39.

With 4:55 left in the third quarter, Dingle made a jumper and brought the Rams up to 41. Efforts from Dingle, Downey, DeWolfe and Matilda Flood, FCRH ’24, shrunk a 15-point lead to three points. 

For exactly ten seconds, Fordham was ahead of Maryland, 59-58. The Rams finally held a lead in the game. This short-lived triumph ended due to a foul by Flood, which sent Shyanne Sellers, UM ’25, to the free throw line where she evened the score at 59-59. The third quarter was sealed by a three-pointer by Miller, and Maryland reclaimed the lead, 62-59. 

The Rams persisted and fought for the lead once again in the fourth. However, Maryland’s consistent shooting left Fordham stumbling, and the Rams’ missed open shots proved devastating for any hope of revival. 

Sellers, Miller and Masonius drove Maryland to a predictable victory against the Rams. Still, the Rams proved worthy competitors, and the final score reflected the back and forth as the ranked Terrapins escaped with a marginal 83-76 win.

The two teams’ shooting metrics told the story of the game. Maryland performed significantly better than the Rams in terms of shooting. The Terrapins made 47% of their field goals and 82% of their free throws. While Fordham did perform better with their free throws — shooting 90% from the charity stripe — they failed to make it to the line and only shot 11 compared to Maryland’s 28. 

Fordham will next take on another impressive opponent on November 16th, when they face  the Princeton University Tigers. The Tigers received votes in the most recent iteration of the Associated Press NCAA women’s basketball rankings and will be yet another test for the Rams in the budding 2022-23 campaign.

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