Women's Basketball Opens 2016-17 Season Friday Night at Home in Preseason WNIT Against Furman

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2016-17 Media Guide

Bronx, N.Y. – After a long offseason and preseason, the Fordham women's basketball team is finally set to open the 2016-17 regular season at home against Furman Friday night at 7 p.m. as the Atlantic 10's representative in the Preseason WNIT. This is the first time Fordham has participated in the WNIT in program history. Fans can follow the action via the links above, watching on the A-10 Digital Network, listening live online on WFUV, or following the game's live stats. All three options are free to all.
 
Last Time Out
Fordham overcame a sluggish start to defeat Muhlenberg, 74-50, in exhibition play last Friday night at the Rose Hill Gym. The Rams were without several players but finished strong after a slow first period that saw the hosts score just seven points. Senior Hannah Missry led the way with a game-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting from behind the arc, adding six rebounds, and one assist, steal, and block apiece. Joining her in double figures were newcomers Anna Kelly and Mary Goulding. Kelly came off the bench to score 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including a three-pointer and four free throw makes in as many attempts, while Goulding provided a little bit of everything, finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. Joining Missry and Goulding in the starting lineup were Danielle Burns, Lauren Holden, and Kate Kreslina. The Rams rebounded from the poor start with a very efficient second quarter, shooting 58.8% from the field and 6-of-8 (85.7%) from long range, to outscore the visiting Mules, 26-8, heading into halftime. Fordham hauled in 14 offensive rebounds and shot 44.8% overall from beyond the arc, also turning in a tidy 23/23 assist/turnover ratio.
 
Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
The Fordham Rams were selected to finish sixth in the annual preseason coaches' poll, announced at A-10 Media Day, held in Richmond, Va., the site of the 2017 A-10 Championship. The Rams finished last season tied for sixth, with an 8-8 conference record, and reached the second round of the conference postseason. Saint Louis, who tied for last year's regular season title and reached the third round of the WNIT, garnered nine first-place votes. Dayton and last year's runner-up Duquesne tied for second in the poll with 166 points apiece, with the latter receiving three first-place votes. Two-time defending champion, George Washington, gathered the remaining two first-place votes and is predicted to finish fourth. Following the Colonials are VCU, Fordham, Richmond, and Saint Joseph's to round out the top eight. Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, George Mason, La Salle, Davidson, and Massachusetts rounded out the preseason rankings, respectively.
 
2015-16 Season Review
The Rams finished last season 14-17 and 8-8 in conference play, defeating Massachusetts in overtime in the first round of the A-10 Championship but falling to eventual runner-up Duquesne in the next round. New Director of Player Development Samantha Clark was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10 as well as to the All-Defensive Team after a fantastic senior campaign where she led the squad with 12.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, also chipping in a team-high 36 blocks and 30 steals. Clark led the A-10 in minutes played per contest (37.2). Fordham will return the other four starters from last season, with three of them averaging between nine and 10 points per game. Junior G'mrice Davis tallied 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per contests with 10 blocks and 21 steals during a solid sophomore season, while Danielle Burns scored 9.6 points per game on 39.8% shooting from the field and led the team with 76 assists. Hannah Missry continued her volume three-point shooting and set the school record for most career long-range makes as a junior, finishing the year with 239. She has averaged 79 threes over her three seasons but will need 100 to break the A-10 career record. Sophomore Lauren Holden solidified her spot as the team's starting point guard as a freshman by averaging 6.3 points per game with 55 assists and 35% shooting from deep, good for third-best on the team. Danielle Padovano and Asnate Fomina were both vital cogs in the rotation off the bench, scoring 4.5 and 4.1 points per game, respectively, while also joining the starting lineup a combined 16 times last season.
 
New Faces
There are six players who will hope to make their Fordham debuts at some point this season: Breanna Cavanaugh, Nicole Floyd, Mary Goulding, Anna Kelly, Kate Kreslina, and Tiffany Suarez. Cavanaugh spent part of last season at California, while Floyd and Suarez played one season at Wake Forest and two seasons at Virginia, respectively, before coming to the Bronx. Goulding comes from the JuCo ranks where she played at Gillette College, Kreslina spent last year redshirting after sustaining an injury, and Kelly is a true freshman from Lexington, Mass.
 
Scouting the Paladins
This is the first time Fordham and Furman have met. The Paladins were picked to finish fifth in the Southern Conference and are led by senior point guard Whitney Bunn, a two-time conference first-teamer, 1,000 point scorer, and the school's career assist leader, with 455 over 93 games. Furman returns three starters and seven letterwinners from a year ago, when they finished 15-16 with an 8-8 conference record. Bunn led the squad with 15.1 points per game last season and is up to 1,170 for her career, good for 15^th-most in program history. Head Coach Jackie Carson is in her seventh year at the helm of her alma mater and was a sophomore the last and only other time Furman appeared in the WNIT.
 
Fordham WBB Ticket Plans
Two women's ticket options are available:
Flex Plan: $35 for 15 tickets
Community Partner: $100 for 50 tickets
 
With the flex plan option, fans receive 15 ticket vouchers good for use at any Fordham women's basketball game, plus a special Fordham scarf. As a community partner, you also have the opportunity to provide 50 tickets to a group of your choice.

The Rams will play 10 out-of-conference match-ups within the Rose Hill Gym and seven in Atlantic 10 play, including one nationally televised home contest – the home season finale against Dayton on February 19.
 
Up Next
To be determined. If the Rams win, they will travel to face the winner of Central Michigan and #1 Notre Dame. If Fordham loses, they will continue in the consolation bracket with two more guaranteed contests next weekend. In the latter scenario, the Rams would be put into a foursome to play two games at one of the teams' home court. Keep up to date with Fordham women's basketball at FordhamSports.com and @FordhamWBB on Twitter.