Women's Basketball Hosts Manhattan Saturday for Annual Battle of the Bronx

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Go4theGoal / Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (7-4, 1-0 A-10) seeks to rebound from a pair of losses in its last three contests with Saturday evening's annual 'Battle of the Bronx' against Manhattan (4-4, 0-2 MAAC) in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
Women's Basketball Promotions
There are several promotions going on associated with the Fordham women's basketball program.
 
Tomorrow is the last day of the week-long 'Battle of the Bronx' fundraiser between the Fordham and Manhattan basketball programs to raise money for Pediatric Cancer. All players tomorrow will wear gold laces on their shoes. Fans who want to make a donation can go HERE, or by texting 'GO' to 749-35.
 
Women's basketball is also hosting a coloring contest for young fans, with prizes for the best renditions given out to three different age groups. Read more about it here.
 
Finally, interested youth groups should check out the Women's basketball program's Harry's Hustler's young group initiative to attend home games and participate in a variety of activities and opportunities.
 
Last Time Out vs. St. John's (12/13)
The Rams welcomed the Red Storm to the Rose Hill Gym on Tuesday night and the reigning Big East champs walked away with a 15-point victory, Fordham's largest margin of defeat other than the loss at Notre Dame, who were ranked #1 at that time. The Rams outscored St. John's in the first and third periods but a six-point second quarter for the Red Storm plus a 2-for-16 scoring drought in the fourth period ended up as a double-figure loss. Fordham had cut the deficit to just four late in the third quarter but didn't hit a field goal over the final eight minutes of the game.
 
St. John's started out hot with a 6-0 run before Danielle Burns and Alisha Kebbe traded threes to maintain the six-point lead. Fordham answered with a 7-0 run on a Kate Kreslina layup plus free throws by Lauren Holden, Mary Goulding, and Danielle Padovano, to take a 10-9 lead. The two schools traded buckets and the Rams led, 14-13, after one. It was back-and-forth for most of the second frame but a late 8-2 run from the visitors was sparked by a Kebbe's trey that gave St. John's a five-point cushion at halftime, 27-22. Fordham shot 7-of-12 from the floor in the third quarter (58.3%) and 6-of-8 from inside the arc as the Rams outscored their opponents, 17-16, to get within four at the break. Burns and Padovano scored four points to tie things up, 43-43, early in the fourth period but the latter would prove to be the last basket of the evening for Fordham. The Rams were shooting 40.5% heading into the fourth quarter but it ended up being 32.7% (17-for-52) overall.
 
Burns led the way with 13 points and seven rebounds, while junior forward G'mrice Davis struggled with foul trouble throughout the contest, even fouling out late in the game on a charge, and finished with just four points and six rebounds in 19 minutes. Fordham won the battle of the boards, 36-35, for the fifth time this season, but the Rams coughed the ball up 18 times.
 
Series History vs. Manhattan
The Jaspers led the all-time series, 24-23, since 1980, when Manhattan defeated the Rams in Riverdale, 69-56. Fordham has had, by far, more success at home against the local rival, with a 15-7 all-time record in the Rose Hill Gym. The Rams are currently on a five-game winning streak and last dropped the Jaspers, 60-49, in Draddy Gymnasium on November 18 last year. The last Manhattan win was in the Bronx in 2010, a 49-45, win.
 
 
Scouting the Jaspers
The Jaspers are in their first season under new head coach Heather Vulin, who has spent 16 years as an assistant coach, most recently at Virginia Tech. The team is led by Amani Tatum, a 2016 preseason MAAC First Team selection and last year's MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. She leads the team in assists, steals, and minutes per game and is second with 8.6 points per game. Manhattan started its season off with three wins in its first four games -- against Holy Cross, Yale, and Brown, and a loss to currently undefeated Buffalo on the road a month ago. Since then, the Jaspers dropped three straight against Stony Brook, Marist, and at Iona, but rebounded with a three-point win over St. Francis Brooklyn last Wednesday.Kayla Grimme leads the team with 9.1 points per game and a 43.3% shooting clip from the field. Grimme has also racked up 25 blocks on the season already. Tate leads with 21 steals and is also second in the squad with 5.0 rebounds per contest. As a team, the Jaspers are giving up 60.2 points per game (-7.1 margin) and allowing teams to shoot 37.5% from the floor.
 
Gaitley Hits 100
Stephanie Gaitley reached 100 wins with the Fordham program against Little Rock on November 19. This marked the third school the 31-year veteran head coach has reached the century mark, plus four with at least 95 wins. Gaitley had previously reached the milestone with Richmond and Saint Joseph's, plus compiled 95 wins with LIU Brooklyn, the first three schools she coached at. Her most at a single stop was 196 over a decade with the Hawks. 11 more wins and Gaitley will become the all-time winningest head coach in Fordham history.
 
Gaitley's 900^th Game
The double overtime win over Albany on November 22 was Stephanie Gaitley's 900 career contest as a head coach. She has a 569-338 record over 31 seasons with five different schools.
 
Second-Most Wins in A-10 History
Continuing the trend of Gaitley milestones, the win over Albany was Gaitley's 157th all-time as a coach of an A-10 school (Saint Joseph's and Fordham), passing Theresa Grentz for second-most all-time. Gaitley now has 161 with the win over Grambling State but needs 80 more to break Joe McKeown's all-time record of 240.
 
The Road to 1,000
Senior guard Hannah Missry looks set to become the 19th member of the 1,000 point club in Fordham program history, needing 48 points to get there. She is currently averaging 7.1 points per game. Missry is already the program's leading three-point shooter, having passed Heather Donlon's long-standing record of 233 last season, with 259 career makes through 105 appearances (100 starts).
 
Kreslina Named A-10 Rookie of the Week
Redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Monday afternoon, the first honor of her young career. The Latvian guard averaged 12.5 points over the past week, including a career-high 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the close win over Princeton on Saturday. The freshman hit several big shots in the fourth quarter.
 
100 Starts
Missry made the 100th start of her career in her 105th appearance on Tuesday night against St. John's. She was, however, held scoreless for just the sixth time in her entire Fordham career.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Fordham has held its opponents to less than 50 points 33 times resulting in 33 victories. Overall under Gaitley, Fordham is 43-4 in such instances and have now won 35 straight with the most recent win over Boston College, limiting the Eagles to 49 points. The Rams are 3-0 this season holding opponents under 50 points (and 4-0 holding them at 51 and under).
 
Defense Part Deux
Through 11 games this season, Fordham's defense has limited opposing scoring to just 56.4 points per contest, ranking 45th in the country. Part of that is due to the Rams' stingy perimeter D that has held opponents to just 25.0% shooting from beyond the arc, currently situated at 16th nationally. On Saturday, Princeton's solid three-point shooting offense was held to just 3-of-14 shooting from behind the arc, and on Tuesday, St. John's shot just 3-of-8 from deep.
 
Three and D
The Rams are 7-4 so far through their first 11 games and a big reason for their success has been the team's success around the perimeter on both sides of the ball. Fordham is 45th in the country in three-point attempts (219) and 87th in makes (66) while playing terrific defense along the perimeter that has led to teams shooting just 25.0% from deep, good for 16th in the country.
 
Leading the A-10
The Rams currently lead the conference in three categories: free throw percentage (78.8%), scoring defense (56.4), and three-point defense (25.0%). The Rams are also second in threes per game (6.4). On the individual level, G'mrice Davis leads the league in defensive rebounds per game (9.0) and she is second with 11.7 rebounds per contest. Hannah Missry's 1.8 threes per game average is also third-most in the conference.
 
Davis Boarding with the Best
G'mrice Davis has been a force on the glass this season, putting up career numbers across the board that has her near the top of Division I's rebounding lists (as of 12/15/16): Davis' 9.0 defensive rebounds per game are third-most in the nation, her 129 total rebounds rank second, and her 11.7 rebounding average is sixth overall. Washington's Chantel Osahor ranks above her with 156 total rebounds over 11 games (14.2) this season. Additionally, her four double-doubles in nine games rank 34th in the country. Davis tallied her fourth double-double at Iona last Wednesday, with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and her current 11.7 rebounds per game average would make her the second Ram ever to average double-digit rebounds in a single season. Anne Gregory did it four times.
 
Actively One of the Best from Deep
Hannah Missry has amassed 259 three-pointers in her career in the Bronx and is fifth among active players in Division I for all-time downtown makes. She is six behind Kelsey Plum of Washington and 18 away from Boston College's Kelly Hughes, who the Rams recently held 0-of-2 from downtown this season. Junior guard Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State is tops with an absurd 290 three-pointers in just 80 games. Tuesday night against St. John's, Missry shot 0-for-4 from downtown. It was the first time she'd been held without a three since February 21, 2016, against Saint Louis, and, incredibly, it's just the 10th time in her entire Fordham career that she hasn't recorded at least one long-range make.
 
100 Straight For Burns
Senior Danielle Burns played in her 100th straight game in maroon and white against Little Rock. Burns hasn't missed a single contest since arriving in the Bronx, making 108 appearances and 56 starts, including 33 straight. Fellow seniors Hannah Missry and Danielle Padovano recently hit the century mark against Grambling State and Princeton, respectively.
 
78 To Go
Missry is 78 three-pointers away from breaking Jessica Jenkins' all-time Atlantic 10 record of 338 threes set at St. Bonaventure from 2009-12. Missry recently moved into sole possession of ninth place, passing Amra Mehmedic (Saint Joseph's 2001-04) and Erin Shields (Saint Joseph's 2011-14), with one made three-pointer at Iona. Missry has averaged 79.7 three's over her three seasons in the Bronx and if she keeps up her current career pace, would finish within the top-three all-time.
 
Fordham's Charity
Fordham is 16th in the country thus far with a 78.8% clip from the free throw line. The Rams moved to the top of the Atlantic 10 leaderboard with a perfect 10-of-10 from the line against Boston College last weekend. On Saturday against Princeton, the Rams hit a season-high 15-of-20 from the stripe, and made 9-of-10 from the line against St. John's on Tuesday.
 
Fomina Facilitating Off the Bench
The Latvian junior guard has come off the bench this season in all 11 contests and has helped facilitate the offense while on the court. Fomina is third on the team with 19 assists on the season and has tallied at least one assist in every game but one thus far this season, also tallying a season-high five dimes at Iona to go with two points, four boards, and two steals.
 
Career Numbers Watch
- Danielle Burns is two rebounds away from 350
- Danielle Burns is 72 points away from 700
- Danielle Burns is 10 field goals away from 250
- Danielle Burns is 102 minutes away from 2,500
- G'mrice Davis is three points away from 600
- G'mrice Davis is 19 field goals away from 250
- G'mrice Davis is 37 rebounds away from 500
- Asnate Fomina is five minutes away from 1,000
- Lauren Holden is one assist away from 75
- Lauren Holden is 12 points away from 300
- Lauren Holden is four field goals away from 100
- Hannah Missry is 48 points away from 1,000
- Hannah Missry is seven steals away from 50
- Danielle Padovano is 48 minutes away from 1,500
- Danielle Padovano is four three-pointers away from 50
- Danielle Padovano is two rebounds away from 150
 
Fordham Debuts
Three Rams made their debuts against Furman: redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina started and tallied 10 points and eight rebounds over a team-high 35 minutes, while Mary Goulding and Anna Kelly came off the bench for four and seven points, respectively. Goulding added four rebounds, an assist and a block in 19 minutes, while Kelly added two boards, an assist, and a steal in 11 minutes. Junior transfer Tiffany Suarez made her long-awaited Fordham debut against Little Rock, tallying two points and an assist in nine fourth quarter minutes against the Trojans.
 
Five Sign NLIs in 2016-17 Recruiting Class
Coach Gaitley announced this past week the additions of five student-athletes  to national letters of intent: Halei Gillis, Kendell Heremaia, Zara Jillings, Ralene Kwiatkowski, and Vilisi Tavui. Fordham's global reach under Coach Gaitley continues with two players from North Carolina, two from New Zealand, and one from Fiji. The three international players all have experience playing within their countries' junior ranks.
 
You can read all about the five additions here.
 
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.
 
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 have three remaining 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.
 
You can purchase single game tickets for all home contests here.
 
Up Next
Fordham hosts Niagara next Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m. before the following week's 10^th anniversary of the Fordham Holiday Classic. After that, Atlantic 10 play begins in earnest.