Women's Basketball Hosts 10th Annual Fordham Holiday Classic

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (9-4, 1-0 A-10) will host Buffalo, Harvard, and UNC-Asheville for the 10^th annual Fordham Holiday Classic on Thursday and Friday, December 29 and 30. The Rams will kick things off against the Bulls (9-0) at noon, before the Crimson (9-1) and Bulldogs (6-3) do battle 30 minutes following the conclusion of that contest. The following day, the consolation game will begin at noon and the championship match-up will tip off shortly thereafter.   
 
Harry's Hustlers
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. Niagara (12/22)
Fordham welcomed the Purple Eagles to the Bronx for the first time ever and just the third time total. It was the first time the two schools had met since 1995, when the Rams downed Niagara, 96-69. Incredibly, that score was nearly repeated when Fordham sprinted to a 92-69 win over the Purple Eagles last Thursday, setting a program record for 38 made field goals on a record-tying 24 assists. G'mrice Davis almost equaled her career-high 24 points set against Manhattan just days earlier, with 23 points on a career-best 10 buckets (15 attempts) but missed her sixth double-double with nine rebounds. Hannah Missry rebounded from a scoring slump with 14 second half points and 16 total on 6-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-7 from downtown. Every starter scored at least 10 points and Danielle Padovano came off the bench for a season-high 10 points as well, becoming the first player off the bench this year to finish in double digits. The team's 55.9% shooting from the field was easily a season-high, while matching a season-high with 11 three-pointers. Surprisingly, the team took a season-low seven free throws. Fordham never shot below 50% in any quarter and never below 40% from downtown, either, hitting at least two threes in each period. Fordham also won the battle of the boards, 36-30.
 
Series History vs. Buffalo
This will be the first time these two schools have met.
 
Scouting the Bulls
Buffalo has begun their season with nine straight wins, seven at home and two on the road, which is a new program record to begin a season. Most recently, the Bulls defeated St. Bonaventure at home, 68-47, last Wednesday. They have also played two other A-10 schools, Massachusetts and at Duqusne, and won both, by 14 points against the Minutewomen and by two over the Dukes on the road. JoAnna Smith is averaging 13.7 points per game to lead the team and is third with 4.7 rebounds per contest over 28.4 minutes per game. Cassie Oursler is next with 10.3 points and 4.6 rebounds, plus a team-high 12 blocks. She is shooting 45.2% from the field in just 19.6 minutes. Stephanie Reid is the team's point guard, with 54 assists already on the year, good for six each game, and plays a team-high 29.1 minutes per game. Buffalo is very deep, with five different players leading the team in scoring over the nine contests. Fifth-year head coach Felisha Legette-Jack has found minutes for 12 different players in at least seven of the nine contests, with nobody averaging over 30 minutes a night and just three under 10 minutes per game. The Bulls are averaging 69.7 points per contest while holding opponents to just 54.1 points and, like Fordham, are adept at stymieing opposing three-point shooters (26.1%). The Bulls haul in 45.6 boards per game and hold opponents mostly off the glass at just a 32.3 clip. Defensively, Buffalo has two rim protectors in Oursler and Summer Hemphill off the bench with 10 swats each, while the squad has collectively tallied 86 steals.
 
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. Gaitley needs just nine more victories in the Bronx to surpass Kathy Mosolino ('74-'80) to 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 571-338 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 163 but needs 78 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 just 30 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 263 career makes through 107 appearances (102 starts).
 
Kreslina Named A-10 Rookie of the Week
Redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week last Monday afternoon, the first honor of her young career. The Latvian guard averaged 12.5 points against Iona and Princetn, including a career-high 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the close win over the Tigers on Saturday. The freshman hit several big shots in the fourth quarter, from the field and the line.
 
The Bronx is Our House
With the 92-69 victory over Niagara last Thursday, the Rams moved to 8-1 this season in the Bronx, as opposed to a 0-2 record on the road and 1-1 on neutral sites. Fordham began this season with six straight home victories before falling to St. John's two weeks ago.
 
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 13 games this season, Fordham's defense has limited opposing scoring to just 57.6 points per contest, ranking 54th in the country. Part of that is due to the Rams' stingy perimeter D that has held opponents to just 27.1% (48-for-177) shooting from beyond the arc, currently situated at 39th nationally. Recently, Princeton's solid three-point shooting offense was held to just 3-of-14 shooting from behind the arc, while St. John's shot just 3-of-8 from deep. However, Manhattan sank 7-of-19 threes on Saturday, the most that Fordham has allowed so far this season.  The Rams held Niagara to 5-of-14 shooting from deep a week ago.
 
Three and D
The Rams are 9-4 so far through their first 13 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 71st in the country in three-point attempts (252) and 80^th in makes (81) while playing terrific defense along the perimeter that has led to teams shooting just 27.1% from deep.
 
Leading the A-10
The Rams currently lead the conference in two categories: free throw percentage (77.9%) and scoring defense (57.6). The Rams are also second in rebounding defense (34.5), third in three-point defense (27.1%), and fourth in threes made per game (6.2) and field goal percentage (40%). At the individual level, G'mrice Davis leads the league in defensive rebounds per game (9.2) and is second with 12.0 boards per game.
 
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 12/28/16): Davis' 9.2 defensive rebounds per game are third-most in the nation, her 156 total rebounds rank second, and her 12.0 rebounding average is fourth. Washington's Chantel Osahor ranks above her with 170 total rebounds over 12 games (14.2) this season. Additionally, her five double-doubles in nine games rank 37th in the country.
 
It Takes Two to... Rebound at a Historic Rate
Anne Gregory ('80) is one of the NCAA's all-time best rebounders. She is the only Ram in school history to average 10 or more rebounds over a single season and she did it all four of her years in the Bronx. Her lowest total, 12.4, came in 1979-80 during her senior year. G'mrice Davis' 12.0 boards/game average ranks just beneath that mark through 13 games. She's at the very least on pace to become just the second Ram to ever grab double figure rebounds per contest over a season. Samantha Clark averaged 9.6 last year, the fifth-highest clip ever.
 
Actively One of the Best from Deep
Hannah Missry has amassed 263 three-pointers in her career in the Bronx and is sixth among active players in Division I for all-time downtown makes. She was recently passed by Akron's Hannah Plybon, who has one more make in the same amount of games (107) for fifth. Missry is 12 behind Washington's Kelsey Plum and 19 away from Boston College's Kelly Hughes, who the Rams recently held 0-of-2 from downtown this season. Junior Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State and senior Sydney Wiese of Oregon State sit atop the leaderboard with 298 apiece. Wiese has reached that number in 107 games, as well, but Mitchell has played in just 83 games.
 
100 Starts
Missry made the 100th start of her career in her 105th appearance against St. John's. She was, however, held scoreless for just the sixth time in her entire Fordham career.
 
110 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 110 consecutive appearances and 58 starts, including 35 straight. Fellow seniors Hannah Missry and Danielle Padovano recently hit the century mark against Grambling State and Princeton, respectively.
 
74 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, and will surpass Xavier's Suntana Granderson (2004-07) for eighth with three more makes. Missry has averaged 79.7 three's over her three seasons in the Bronx.
 
Career-Highs for G'mrice
The junior forward is playing the most minutes of her career this season and is putting up terrific numbers. Davis has set three new career-highs in rebounds, first with 15 at #1 Notre Dame, then 17 against Texas Tech, including seven on the offensive glass, and finally 21 against Grambling State, one of the top single-game numbers in A-10 history. Following the Battle of the Bronx, Davis has now set two new scoring career-highs, as well, first with 22 points against Boston College and now 24 against the Jaspers. At Iona, Davis played the entire 40 minutes for the first time in her career.
 
Fordham's Charity
Fordham is 16th in the country thus far with a 77.9% 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 and have hit 133-of-171 in total from the stripe. The team's season-high came, unsurprisingly, in the double overtime win against Albany, sinking 18-of-22 freebies.
 
Fomina Facilitating Off the Bench
The Latvian junior guard is averaging 15.2 minutes off the bench in all 13 contests and is second in the squad with 25 assists behind Lauren Holden. Fomina fell one shy of her career-high of six assists at Iona, and matched her career-high of five rebounds in the loss to Texas Tech.
 
Career Numbers Watch
- Danielle Burns is 43 points away from 700
- Danielle Burns is 46 minutes away from 2,500
- Danielle Burns is 14 assists away from 150
- G'mrice Davis is 56 points away from 700
- G'mrice Davis is 10 rebounds away from 500
- Lauren Holden is 19 assists away from 100
- Hannah Missry is 30 points away from 1,000
- Hannah Missry is 26 minutes away from 3,200
- Hannah Missry is six steals away from 50
- Danielle Padovano is three minutes away from 1,500
- Danielle Padovano is one three-pointer away from 50
 
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 two remaining out-of-conference match-ups within the Rose Hill Gym (next week's Fordham Holiday Classic) 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 begin Atlantic 10 play in earnest on Sunday for a New Year's Day matinee at Rhode Island at 2 p.m.