Even after lopsided loss to UCLA, Fordham still projects to be in great shape entering A-10 season

Stephanie Gaitley walks off Rose Hill Gym court following loss to UCLA, but still satisfied with Rams' big-picture chances. (Photo by Ray Floriani/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

BRONX, NY -- You can see them on tape, but it's different on the court.

Those were the first reactions of Fordham head coach Stephanie Gaitley, whose Rams were soundly defeated by 11th-ranked UCLA, 67-30, Wednesday at Rose Hill Gymnasium. There would be no sugarcoating this game, as the outcome was one-sided. The Bruins led, 15-8, after one quarter, as a G'mrice Davis jumper at the buzzer that would have brought the Rams within two possessions was ruled to be released too late. The visitors rolled to a commanding 22-4 advantage in the next period, creating an insurmountable 37-12 cushion at halftime.

"They have size, athleticism, and pressure that we do not see," said Gaitley of UCLA. "This is a building block. I try to give us a competitive non-conference schedule. We really had that this season. As for this, when I was at Saint Joseph's, we went to Tennessee and absolutely got our asses kicked. We went on to win the league."

For the Rams, the numbers could tell the story: A 20 percent shooting night, no one in double figures on the scoreboard, and coming up on the short end of a 51-22 rebounding margin, the latter hitting home particularly hard.

"We emphasized rebounding," Gaitley reiterated. "That was a major part of our game plan."

The Bruins wiped the glass clean to the tune of 17 offensive boards, and scored a 17-2 domination in second chance points.

"When you give up an offensive rebound, you give a team the chance to get into another offense," said Gaitley. "That's what we did."

All night, it seemed Fordham struggled to get into a comfortable offensive rhythm, as the Rams rushed shots and lacked fluidity as UCLA limited Davis to just 3-of-10 shooting, Bre Cavanaugh to 2-for-12, and Lauren Holden to a minuscule 1-for-12.

"We watched Fordham on tape against Penn State and Boston College," Bruins coach Cari Close said. They execute very well. They run so many sets and Stephanie does a great job of getting her team to play to their strengths. What we had to do was speed them up. We pressed most of the game to do just that. We didn't want them to use up a lot of clock and dictate the game tempo at their pace."

"When we got down, we started rushing it on offense," Gaitley assessed. "Credit UCLA for that. When they press, they really put their size and length to good use."

The Bruins have the likes of Monique Billings (10 points, 10 rebounds) as one of the Pac-12's marquee players, a reputable shooter in Kelli Hayes, the luxury of several forwards with an enviable trio of skills; and most importantly, a dynamic lead guard in reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year Jordin Canada. The senior point guard led all scorers with 16 points, while posting an efficient line with six assists and four steals against zero turnovers.

"She just sees the court so well, and is one who makes her teammates better," Gaitley said, praising Canada's game.

UCLA, after defeating Seton Hall and Fordham on their East Coast trip, heads back to California to open the conference season next week at Stanford. Fordham is now 7-4, and as Gaitley points out, could end their non-league slate at an impressive 9-4 mark if they win their annual holiday tournament.

"You can't feel sorry for yourself," she emphasized. "We win the Christmas tournament here and we wind up with a better non-conference record than a year ago, and that is after entering the season with a few personnel losses and several newcomers."