NEW YORK (Interstat) — Fordham defeated visiting Niagara 70-40 on Monday in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game at Rose Hill Gym. The Rams improved to 1-0, and the Purple Eagles dropped to 0-1. The attendance was 439. Fordham took the lead in the opening minute and led by double digits for most of the game. Niagara shot 16 of 55 from the floor, while Fordham finished 13 of 20 from the free-throw line.

Fordham took control early at Rose Hill Gym. The Rams answered an early Jalyn Moore free throw with an Ugne Sirtautaite layup and free throw, then added a Lakresha Edwards layup and a Carryn Easley layup. Niagara stayed within range briefly on a Jade Campbell layup and a Campbell tip-in, and Jisca Bila’s layup cut the margin to 11-7. Fordham then closed the first quarter with nine straight points. Ella Averill made a layup, Anastasija Veljovic made two free throws, Caitlyn Martin made two free throws, Veljovic hit a 3-pointer, and Martin made two more free throws to give the Rams a 20-7 lead after one period.

Sirtautaite opened the second-quarter scoring with a layup and later added three more layups as Fordham kept the Purple Eagles at a distance. Easley made two pairs of free throws, and Edwards converted a layup after a pair of free throws. Niagara’s offense found some late life when Bila made a driving layup and a 3-pointer, and Moore made a layup and a 3-pointer in the final two minutes. Easley answered with a layup for Fordham just before the break, and Moore’s 3-pointer at the 1.6-second mark made it 38-19 at halftime.

Niagara tried to chip away at the start of the third quarter. Kenedie Haruna made two free throws and Campbell made a layup, but Fordham responded with Edwards layups and a Martin layup. Sirtautaite made a layup, Averill made a layup and Precious Omoshola made a layup as the Rams pushed the lead to 48-25. Niagara got a layup and a free throw from Alejandra Rioja, while Fordham received a driving layup and free throw from Veljovic and later a layup from Zala Srot. The Rams led 53-27 going into the fourth quarter.

Fordham pulled away in the fourth quarter. Veljovic made a layup and Edwards made a free throw before Moore made a layup for Niagara. Easley answered with a layup, Bila made a driving layup and Moore added another driving layup. Edwards then made a layup and a 3-pointer, Rioja made a layup for Niagara, and Lily Deng Lual made a layup. Omoshola answered with a layup, Deng Lual made another layup, Averill made a layup and Easley completed a layup and free throw to give Fordham a 70-39 lead with 34.8 seconds left. Deng Lual made the final free throw for Niagara as the Rams closed out a 70-40 win.

Carryn Easley recorded 11 points, four rebounds and seven assists in 32 minutes for Fordham. The 5-foot-5 guard from Philadelphia, Pa., previously played at SS John Neumann/Maria Goretti. Anastasija Veljovic added nine points and six rebounds in 23 minutes for the Rams. The 5-foot-11 forward previously played at Fort Erie International. Jade Campbell paced Niagara with eight points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes. The 6-foot forward previously played at Medgar Evers College Prep School. Ugne Sirtautaite contributed 14 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes for Fordham, and Precious Omoshola had four points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block in 20 minutes.

Lakresha Edwards scored 17 points to go with three rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes for Fordham. Jalyn Moore added 10 points, four rebounds and three assists in 29 minutes for Niagara. Jisca Bila finished with nine points and two rebounds in 22 minutes for the Purple Eagles. Lily Deng Lual had five points, four rebounds, one assist and one block in 17 minutes, and Caitlyn Martin added seven points, one rebound and two assists in 25 minutes for the Rams.

Niagara shot 16 of 55 from the floor, 2 of 17 from 3-point range and 6 of 14 from the free-throw line. Fordham shot 27 of 57 overall, 3 of 19 from beyond the arc and 13 of 20 at the line. The Purple Eagles had nine offensive rebounds, 10 assists, four blocks and 23 turnovers. The Rams had eight offensive rebounds, 11 assists, two blocks and 21 turnovers. Niagara scored 40 points from 76 possessions for an offensive rating of 52.9. Fordham scored 70 points from 80 possessions for an offensive rating of 88.1.

Niagara is scheduled to visit UMass-Lowell next, while Fordham is set to host St. Thomas Aquinas.

The Interstat game simulator had projected Fordham to win with a final score of 64-50 and had given Fordham a 94.8 percent probability of winning.