Heartbreak in California: Women’s Basketball Stumbles Against Xavier on Sunday

NEW YORK – Narrowing the margin to just four points with less than a minute remaining, Fordham University’s women’s basketball team succumbed to Xavier, 71-62, concluding the Raising the B.A.R. Invitational.

In spite of the defeat, the Rams were competitive throughout the match, taking a two-point lead at halftime before rallying from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter, compelling Xavier to make numerous free throws in the closing moments. With Sunday representing the final non-conference matchup, the Rams’ record now stands at 6-5 while Xavier improved to 5-6.

For the second consecutive night, Taylor Donaldson scored 24 points, once again spearheading the scoring attack on Sunday evening, alongside nine rebounds and five steals; marking the second instance this season in which she achieved five or more steals. Irene Murua also performed commendably, hitting 8-of-10 shots for 17 points and securing 12 rebounds, all on the offensive end.

In an incredibly dominant display on the boards, Fordham outperformed Xavier in rebounding with a total of 49-29, including 27 on the offensive glass alone. This tally of offensive rebounds represents the highest since Nov. 26, 2003, when the Maroon and White amassed 30 offensive boards against Dartmouth.

The game began as a low-scoring affair, with Fordham preventing the Musketeers from scoring a field goal for over five minutes, resulting in a tie at just 2-2, with Xavier’s points coming solely from the free-throw line at the start of the game. Although scoring improved towards the end, the Rams wrapped up the first quarter with a slim 10-9 lead.

Xavier netted the first seven points of the second quarter to take the lead, which was shortly erased less than three minutes later as Fordham executed a 10-0 run to regain a 20-16 lead. The teams exchanged baskets as the first half drew to a close, with the Maroon and White taking a two-point advantage into halftime.

Scoring a game-high 24 points in the third period, the Musketeers emerged strong from the break, outperforming the Rams by 11 points in that quarter, establishing a 50-41 lead heading into the fourth. The final ten minutes saw both teams evenly matched, with each scoring 21 points, as Xavier withstood a late surge by the Rams, who reduced the deficit to four points with 38 seconds remaining before falling short at the free-throw line to finalize the score.

Fordham will make its return to the court just prior to the New Year, commencing the Atlantic 10 part of the schedule with the first of 18 league games next Sunday, Dec. 29, at UMass at 1:00 p.m.