St. John's 59, Fordham 45: Ray Floriani's Photo Essay

BRONX, NY - The non-conference competition serves several purposes.

It is a tune up for conference play. It also affords your team a look at different styles. In some cases, your opposition is one from another region. There are occasions where the opponent is close to home, virtually a neighbor. The latter was the case at Rose Hill on Tuesday. Fordham entertained St. John’s in a women’s contest.

The conferences differ, St. John’s of the Big East and Fordham, the Atlantic 10. The mileage between the two schools is under twenty miles, but a few tolls should you drive from one campus to the other. The two matched up in a game they naturally wanted to win, as well as use to find out more about themselves.

In the end it came down to a 59-45 decision, closer than the score indicated, in favor of visiting St. John’s. The intrigue or mystique of teams from two conferences was anything but that. It basically came down to fundamental issues. Fordham turned the ball over too much to coach Stephanie Gaitley’s liking, 18 times. For her counterpart Joe Tartamella of St. John’s, it came down to his group simply digging in and defending, especially over the final quarter when they opened up a close game.

A non-league meeting and chance to ascertain what is working and what needs to be fixed. This is what was made available on Tuesday night. Having the combatants so close in geographic proximity added a little extra.

Fordham in pregame warmups:

St. John's, vertical on defense:

Aaliyah Lewis directs the St. John's attack:

Immaculate Mother of Mary, from nearby Scarsdale, scrimmages at the half:

Official Karen Preato explains a point to Jade Walker of St. John's:

Fordham's Lauren Holden in the defensive stance:

Fordham coach Stephanie Gaitley on the sideline:

Gaitley with WFUV for the obligatory postgame interview:

From left to right: St. John's coach Joe Tartamella, Aaliyah Lewis and Jade Walker meet the media: