BY CHARLES COSTELLO

When the doors to the Rose Hill Gym opened today, it felt the way college basketball is supposed to feel.

For starters, the Rams were hosting their own holiday tournament for the second year in a row. Only this year, they were playing in the championship game. And, with a new roster, higher hopes, and yes, some wins under their belt, Fordham entered this afternoon’s contest with Bryant University poised and determined to capture the tournament title.

That they did so with a 70-51 win over the Bulldogs in front of 773 at the Rose Hill Gym is one thing. That they won their seventh game of the season is an even bigger story. After going 0-29 one year ago, the Rams are now 7-6, with games against Lehigh and Navy upcoming before conference play begins January 10. While critics point to what they say is a weak non-conference schedule, the fact remains that a year ago, Fordham was not winning these games.

“We’re 7 and 6 and we’ve won three in a row. That has a lot to say about where our team is. And we won a championship,” head coach Cathy Andruzzi said after today’s win. “What a great turnaround for them but we have a long way to go. We’re not where we need to be right now because we have high expectations and that’s something we put on ourselves. These kids work really hard and we’re still a very young team. I only have a couple kids here from last year. We’re growing. We’re getting better and better. These games, by coming back and winning by a decisive edge, are very important for us.”

Beset by foul trouble all afternoon, Fordham overcame a 14-0 first half run by the Bulldogs to take a 34-28 halftime lead, then dominated play in the second half en route to the blowout win. But it wasn’t easy.

After jumping out to a 9-3 lead, the Rams had trouble overcoming the foul trouble that resulted in Randall Hurst and Kristina Bell heading to the bench early in the game. After the Bulldogs went on their run to take a 22-11 lead, Fordham got hot. They closed the half on a 23-6 run, fueled by the play of Annie Zopf and Tiffany Stokes. Zopf hit four 3-pointers in the half and finished the game with 17 points. Afterward, she was named to the All-Tournament Team. Meanwhile Stokes put on a show on both ends of the floor. Down 23-19, Stokes scored five points in a row off two consecutive steals and layups (and one free throw) that put the Rams ahead 24-23. Though the Bulldogs eventually tied the game at 27-27, Fordham would not trail the rest of the way.

“Bryant’s a very good team,” Andruzzi said. “The way our girls played, by being down and coming back, just showed a lot of resilience on their part. I’m very proud of the way our girls played today.”

With Hurst on the bench for most of the second half after picking up her fourth foul, Fordham would dominate the game’s final 20 minutes, controlling the tempo on offense and consistently building on their lead with patience and timely scoring, and by forcing turnovers on the defensive end. Freshman Becky Peters emerged as a dynamic offensive force for the Rams, scoring 16 of her game-high 24 points in the second half. She also had 11 rebounds for her second consecutive double-double. With today’s performance, combined with her 18 points and 12 rebounds in the win yesterday over Norfolk State, Peters was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Meanwhile, a new star has emerged for the Rams.

“Becky is the kind of player that we’ve been recruiting,” Andruzzi said. “Becky is a tough kid. She has great intensity, she has great focus, and she works really hard.”

With conference play on the horizon, Fordham has little time to celebrate. On the flip side, one would understand the Rams taking a minute to reflect on how far they’ve come.

“I think we’ve played some really good teams and it’s really important to get some wins under our belt,” Andruzzi said about the importance of winning non-conference games. “We’ve come such a long way.”

Fordham University announced today that junior Randall Hurst and freshman Becky Peters received Atlantic 10 Conference weekly honors. Hurst was named Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Co-Player of the Week, while Peters was named Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Week.

Hurst averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds for the Rams in wins over Central Connecticut State and Norfolk State. Heading into today’s contest with Bryant, Hurst is Fordham’s leading scorer (12.1 ppg) and rebounder (5.3 rpg).

Peters averaged 15 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.5 steals in the two wins. In the win over Norfolk State yesterday, Peters recorded her first career doubled-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. She also had six steals. Peters is the Rams second leading scorer and rebounder heading into action today, averaging 9.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. She is averaging 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game since joining the starting lineup on December 6.

Hurst is Fordham’s first Atlantic 10 Player of the Week since Lisa Carrol earned the honor back in December of 2006. This marks the first time that Fordham has netted both honors in the same week since joining the conference in the 1995-96 season.