Tigers' Comeback Falls Just Short As Fordham Escapes With 57-55 Win

Saturday, December 10

New York, N.Y.

2:00 p.m.

Princeton University

Fordham

Photo by: Kobus Reyneke

Tigers' Comeback Falls Just Short As Fordham Escapes With 57-55 Win

December 10, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BRONX, N.Y. – A ferocious comeback by Princeton came up just short as the Fordham Rams escaped with a 57-55 victory at Rose Hill Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon.

Three Tigers finished in double-figures, highlighted by senior Vanessa Smith's 13 points. Junior Tia Weledji added 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench while junior Leslie Robinson secured 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, a block and steal in the loss.

The non-conference tilt began as an evenly played affair as no team led by more than four points during the first quarter. A Robinson layup with 26 seconds to go gave the Tigers a 16-12 advantage after the first 10 minutes.

Weledji's bucket to open the second quarter gave Princeton its largest lead of the game (18-12) at the 9:31 mark. The home squad responded with an 8-0 spurt to jump in front, 20-18, with 5:38 remaining in the first half. Princeton answered, cashing in six straight over the next 90 seconds to take a 24-20 lead. Fordham scored 8-of-12 to complete the frame and went into the intermission ahead, 29-28.

After a Robinson basket started the second half, the Rams ran out with a 14-3 burst, pushing its lead to eight (41-33) at the 5:05 point of the third quarter. The two teams exchanged points until four consecutive tallies by Fordham set the contest at 47-36 after three.

Trailing by double-digits, Princeton went on the offensive in the final stanza. A jumper from Weledji followed by a three-pointer from sophomore Gabrielle Rush and bucket in the paint from freshman Bella Alarie got the Tigers within four (49-45) as the clock ticked under five minutes.

Princeton got the game back to one possession when Smith snagged an offensive rebound and laid it in (52-50) with 1:14 remaining. After two Fordham free throws, Rush hit a three-pointer with 30 seconds left to make the contest 54-53. The home team hit two more from the charity stripe while a layup from Smith made it a one-point game (56-55) with 18 seconds to go. On the next trip down the floor, the Rams went 1-of-2 from the free-throw line, while the Tigers couldn't send the contest to overtime.

The Tigers held the Rams to just 2-of-10 shooting (20.0 percent) in the fourth quarter. Princeton outrebounded its opponent for a sixth straight matchup (36-33). Fordham's Kate Kreslina had a game-high 19 points on 6-of-9 (66.7 percent) from the floor. The Rams made 15 of its their 20 free throws including 5-of-6 in the final minute.

Princeton dropped to 4-5 on the season while Fordham improved to 7-3. Head coach Courtney Banghart's team will get back on the court next Sunday at Kansas State. The Tigers' next home meeting will be on Dec. 21 vs. Wagner. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.