Fordham burns UMass to cement victory in OT

Richmond, VA -- A blistering hot first quarter where Fordham shot 44% from three and Massachusetts shot 50% from the field was followed up by an ice cold second quarter, with teams scoring seven and eight points, respectively. The even match-up resulted in the first half's 25-25 tie.

After hitting four threes in the first quarter, the Rams missed all but one of their attempts in the second. Thankfully for them, UMass couldn't capitalize on their poor shooting; the Minutewomen shot 4-14 themselves.

Neither team has done much on the inside. The Ram's only have two points in the paint, and all 10 of UMass's paint points have come on the break. With baskets being that hard to come by in the second quarter, they might want to continue running up and down the floor.

The Rams were led in scoring by Danielle Burns, who shot 50% from both the floor and downtown, while the Minutewomen have leaned heavily on Cierra Dillard, with eight points of her own.

Both teams are hoping for a second half much more like the first quarter, as they try to separate themselves on the scoreboard.

The last game of the night might have started with a lot of missed shots, but it more than made up for it in a thrilling overtime finish. Fordham scored 21 points in the five-minute extra period, sealing a 73-62 win against a UMass team whose inconsistent performance from the field prevented a win for the Minutewomen.

Poor shooting continued into the third quarter for UMass, with the Minutewomen going 3-13. Fordham only shot marginally better at 31%, but it was enough to take a four-point lead into the fourth.

Massachusetts finally got the lid off the basket in the last period of regulation, making four of their first five shots. Though they never led in the quarter, UMass stayed within striking distance the whole 10 minutes, with Dillard and Bria Stallworth combining for 13 of the team's 19 fourth quarter points.

Fordham responded with their own firepower, however; leading scorer Burns contributed 10 points of her own in the fourth, and helped the Rams bring the win home with six more points in the extra time. Burns ended with 28 points, playing a game-high 45 minutes.

Fordham found themselves up one when UMass's Rashida Timbillia fouled Samantha Clark on her layup attempt. Two made free throws would have all but ended the game; UMass hadn't hit a three all night.

However, Clark's first try from the stripe knocked off the front iron, leaving the door open for a UMass tie after she hit the second. Dillard found herself with the ball, and sunk a fall-away mid-range jumper with 12 seconds left to tie it. The Rams couldn't set anything up in the resulting time, sending the game into overtime.

Once the extra period started, UMass reverted back to their mid-quarter selves, going 2-11 and eventually being forced to play the foul game. Fordham seemed to have no problem with that, going 15-16 from the field, cementing the victory and paving the way for a match-up with third-seeded Duquesne tomorrow.