Gonzaga University
1-4
Fordham University
3-2
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| FORDHAM RAMS | 37 | 37 | 74 |
| GONZAGA BULLDOGS | 27 | 42 | 69 |
Gonzaga Comeback Falls Short
12/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 1, 2002
HONOLULU, Hawai'i - Gonzaga University staged a furious second-half comeback Sunday, but in the end it was the Fordham University Rams that came away with a 74-69 victory in the game for 7th and 8th places in the 24th annual Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic.
The Bulldogs (1-4) return home to begin a 6-game home stand Thursday when the University of Texas- Pan American visits The Kennel.
Trailing 55-38 with 13:13 remaining, the Bulldogs went on an 11-2 run to get back into the contest. Ashley Burke scored two of her team-high 19 points on a jumper from the right block on an inbounds play and Shannon Mathews connected from the right wing for one of her four 3-pointers. After a Rams' basket by Patricia Williams, the Bulldogs got back-to-back treys from Mathews and Anne Bailey to cut the Fordham lead to 57-49 with 8:49 remaining. Bailey's three came from the top of the arc as the shot clock was winding down.
The Rams countered with back-to-back baskets to get the lead up to 12, but a 12-4 spurt by the Bulldogs closed the margin to 65-61 with 2:08 to play. Raeanna Jewell started the final comeback with a 3-pointer from the right wing, and Burke contributed six straight points with a pair of free throws, a jumper from the right baseline and a mid-court steal and drive to the hoop for a layin to make it 65-61.
With Fordham leading 69-63, Mobolajoi Akiode made both ends of a 1-and-1 free throw for a 71-63 Rams' lead with 35 seconds to go. But Mathews hit her final three of the game from the right wing with 26 ticks left to pull the Bulldogs within 71-66. With Gonzaga forced to foul to try and regain possession, the Rams knocked down 3-of-4 free throws in the final 25 seconds to secure the win. Triana Allen's 3-pointer from the top of the circle with :04 remaining accounted for the final score, but the Bulldogs ran out of clock.
"I felt a lot better about our play today," Gonzaga head coach Kelly Graves said. "We did some good things. But again we hit a dry spell, and a lot of that starts at the defensive end of the court."
Unlike Saturday when the Bulldogs showed poor offensive execution and rushed shots early in the shot clock, Gonzaga showed good early ball movement and patience in building a 9-4 lead. But much in the same pattern of the first two games of the tournament - and especially in Saturday's loss to Denver University - the Bulldogs went into a lull. After building the early lead, Gonzaga was outscored 13-2 over nearly a four-minute stretch as the Rams built a 17-12 lead.
With Burke getting consecutive layins - the second on a back door and feed from Mathews - and Anne Bickelhaupt collecting a rebound basket the Bulldogs drew even at 23 with 6:29 to go in the half. But the Rams outscored Gonzaga 14-4 the rest of the half for a 37-27 lead at the intermission.
"In the second half we got aggressive on offense, got to the free throw line. Those are the things we have to do when our perimeter offense isn't working. I saw some things today we can build on," Graves said.
After going 2-for-18 from long range in the setback to Denver, the Bulldogs connected on a more respectable 10-for-32 for 31.3 percent from beyond the arc. The 32 attempts marked the first time Gonzaga has taken 30 or more treys in a game since two year's ago when the Bulldogs were 6-of-30 at Saint Mary's College.
Mathews and Allen, a combined 1-for-14 from the field on Saturday, were 9-of-24 on Sunday, including 5-for-17 from 3-point range. Mathews had 17 points, Allen 9. Mathews also handed out nine assists and had just two turnovers in 37 minutes.
Bailey, held scoreless in Saturday's game, scored 12 points against Fordham and tied for team rebounding honors with Burke with seven each.
"We need to shoot it better," Graves said. "And like Saturday, the inside play and rebounding of Fordham hurt us."
Gonzaga connected on 24-of-65 field goal attempts for 36.9 percent, up from Saturday's 28.3 percent. Fordham, shooting 40.2 percent from the field entering the contest, shot 60.0 percent in the second half to finish at 52.7 percent (29-for-55).
Fordham had 26 points in the paint to just six for the Bulldogs. The Rams also had 15 second-chance points. Gonzaga, with 17 offensive rebounds out of 38 total boards, had 16 second-chance points.
Gonzaga played without 6-3 junior center Delphine Lecoultre who is nursing a sore back.
