Women's Basketball Welcomes #11/12 UCLA to Rose Hill on Wednesday Night

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (7-3) has rattled off three consecutive wins and six in its last seven games after defeating St. John's on the road in double overtime and Bucknell at home on Sunday. The Rams find themselves in third in the Atlantic 10 and now welcome the program's highest-profile opponent to the Rose Hill Gym since #5 Xavier came in 2010. Fordham hosts #11/12 UCLA (8-2) on Wednesday night with tipoff set for 7 p.m.
 
Upcoming Promotions
Take a Kid to a Game Day: Thursday, December 28, against Hartford and the first day of the 11^th annual Fordham Holiday Classic. Free admission for children 12 years and younger. Our Youth Clinic will also be held from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Vince Lombardi Field House for girls 8^th grade and younger and boys 6^th grade and younger. Click HERE to register for the clinic.
 
Superhero Day: All children 8^th grade and younger can dress up like their favorite superheroes and get in for FREE! Saturday, January 6 against Saint Louis!
 
Bring Your Best Day: All children 8^th grade and younger can bring their best grades from school and get in for FREE by showing them off at the ticketing table! Wednesday, January 17 against Dayton!
 
Last Time Out vs. Bucknell
The Rams struggled mightily to start the contest, missing their first seven attempts from the field and hitting just two-of-four free throw attempts, as the Bison jumped out to a 16-4 lead late in the first quarter. However, Fordham turned things around in a hurry, finishing the period with five unanswered points coming between Kendell Heremaia and Lauren Holden. The Rams were relentless after the break and stretched their run to 17 unanswered points to take a 21-16. Bucknell would tie the game up twice more in the second but never lead, and Fordham would see out the win in the second half by winning the ensuing periods by two points each. Bre Cavanaugh made it two straight 20-point contests with a team-high and season-high 22 points on a season-high eight field goals (13 attempts) with six boards and two steals across 38 minutes. Four Rams finished in double figures, including Holden matching her season-high with 14 points, although G'mrice Davis, who scored 13 points, missed out on a double-double for the first time all season by just one rebound. She added a season-high three assists and two steals. Fordham shot better than 50% for the first time this season (52%) and hit 6-of-9 three-pointers, the lowest number of attempts but second-highest makes. While the overall numbers were good, the free-throw shooting, especially outside the fourth quarter, was not, with the team hitting just 59.1% (13-for-22) from the stripe.
 
Series History vs. UCLA
This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
 
Davis Scores 1,000th Point
G'mrice Davis entered her senior campaign with 970 career points scored and knowing it wouldn't be long to become the 20th Ram to ever accomplish the feat of scoring 1,000 career points in maroon and white. After scoring 28 combined points in her first two games, she was able to reach 1,000 quickly at Albany. The Philadelphia native has since scored 95 points over her last four contests and now sits on 1,110 career points, having just passed former teammate Erin Rooney ('14) for 17th all-time. Heather Donlon ('93) and Christie Kennedy ('92) are next with 1,121 and 1,123 points, respectively.
 
Cavanaugh Named A-10 Rookie of the Week Again
Redshirt freshman Bre Cavanaugh was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Monday afternoon, in addition to the Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association's Player of the Week and College Sports Madness' A-10 Player of the Week, a honor that Cavanaugh has now won in two of the last three weeks. The Allamuchy, N.J. native was critial to the team's success in beating St. John's and Bucknell this past week, with two team-high 20-point contests. Against the Red Storm, Cavanaugh scored 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting, two three's, with five boards, an assist, and a steal across a season-high 48 minutes out of a possible 50. Sunday against Bucknell, she scored all 22 of her career-high points after the first quarter on a career-best eight field goals with two more three's, six rebounds, and two steals over 38 minutes.
 
Ninth-Ranked Defense
Fordham comes into Wednesday allowing the ninth-fewest points per game in the country, at just 53.5, to opponents. The Rams have allowed three 60-point games to opponents in their last four contests (Penn State, St. John's and Bucknell), but hold a 2-1 record over that span. The Red Storm also only scored 53 points in regulation. However, all other opponents this year have scored between 33 and 59 points, with just five of 10 hitting the 55-point mark. Fordham is tied with both Oregon State and West Virginia for ninth, with just 11 teams allowing fewer than 54 points on the season thus far, led by Green Bay's 46.1 opponent points per game. Under Stephanie Gaitley, the Rams have been a top-50 defense every year and have finished within the top-20 in half of her six previous campaigns.
 
Division I's Top Rebounder
G'mrice Davis, the nation's returning leading rebounder, hasn't missed a beat, leading all of Division I with 14.0 rebounds per game and 11.3 defensive boards per contest. The senior missed out on a ninth straight double-double by one rebound against Bucknell, but her eight double-doubles still rank fifth overall. Davis had also seen a streak of at least 11 points, 13 rebounds, and one steal snap at seven consecutive games.
 
National Ranks
Davis is once again doing her thing on the glass and the Rams are, as usual under Coach Gaitley, a top defensive squad, but this year's team is also minimizing fouls and sinking free throws at top rates. Fordham ranks 28th overall with just 139 total fouls and 17th nationally with 13.9 per game, both of which rank first in the conference. Opposing teams are also hitting just 25.6% of long-range attempts, ranked 19th, which also leads the A-10. At the free throw line, the Rams convert on 73.7% of their attempts, ranked fourthin the A-10 and 59th in the country, although those numbers had been 76.2% and 28th, respectively, before the Bucknell game. It's not just Davis helping clean up the boards, too, with six players averaging at least three boards per game. The group unsurprisingly rank 51st overall with an +7.7 rebounding margin over opponents, of whom just one (St. John's) has bested the Rams on the glass.
 
Lauren Holden, who ranked first in the country in minutes played after Fordham's first overtime contest this season in mid-November at Albany, by averaging an unsustainable 41.3 minutes per game, is back atop the Division I standings in minutes played, with 39.6. The junior guard played all 50 minutes at St. John's last Tuesday night and has gone the distance in seven contests out of 10, including Sunday at Bucknell. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis have also been asked to log heavy minutes, ranked 16th and 19th, respectively, with 37.7 and 37.3 minutes per contest.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
A staple of the Gaitley-led Rams is defense, and no stat better represents that than Fordham's 52-5 record when holding opponents under 50 points during her tenure. Last January, Saint Joseph's defeated the Rams, 47-44, at Hagan Arena in Philadelphia, ending a streak of 38 consecutive contests with such victories. The last time before that loss, coincidentally, was also against the Hawks, in the 2013 A-10 Championship game at the Barclays Center, 47-46. Fordham was 10-1 last year when holding opponents under 50 points and are 3-0 this season.
 
Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams have ranked within the top-50 in all six seasons, and within the top-20 at the conclusion of half of them, in scoring defense. The highest a Gaitley-coached defense has finished was 12th during the conference championship-winning 2013-14 campaign, holding opponents at 56.3 points per game, while the 2012-13 squad held opponents to just 52.4 points per game, ranked 16th nationally. Last year, Fordham held opponents to 56.2 points per game and was ranked 19th in the country at season's end. This season, the Rams are 3-0 in such games, holding UMBC, Northern Colorado, and Manhattan all to under 48 points.
 
Crashing the Offensive Glass
Fordham grabbed an astounding 23 offensive rebounds at Penn State, compared to 16 on the defensive end, which was 20 more than the Lady Lions' three by night's end. Mary Goulding grabbed nine of her 10 rebounds on offensive possessions, while G'mrice Davis split her 14 boards evenly on either side. For the season, of the Rams' 382 rebounds, 124 have come on the offensive glass, or more than one third of the time (32.5%). For the season, Goulding has more offensive boards (30) than defensive (23), while Johanna Klug has just one fewer (17-18). Four players have at least 10 offensive rebounds thus far.
 
This Is Our House
Fordham finished its 2016-17 campaign with a 16-3 at home, as opposed to a 5-7 record on the road and 1-2 at neutral sites. They were also 7-1 during home conference contests for the second year in a row. Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams hold a 76-24 (76.0%) record at home across an even 100 contests. They are 5-0 thus far this season in the Bronx. On the flip side, including this year's 2-3 start, Gaitley's Rams are 51-55 (48.1%) on the road or on neutral ground.
 
Got a Minute?
Junior tri-captain Lauren Holden once again leads the nation in minutes played per game, with 39.6. She has gone the distance in seven different games this season and had a stretch of three straight 40-minute shifts over a seven-day span between November 29 and December 6, plus all 50 minutes at St. John's last week and all 40 against Bucknell on Sunday. She also played all 45 minutes in an overtime loss at Albany. A starter since midway through her freshman season, Holden passed the 2,000-minute mark against Northern Colorado and is fast approaching the all-time top-20. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis are also inside the top-20 nationally in minutes played, with 37.7 and 37.3, respectively.
 
Fordham vs. the PAC-12
The history between the Rams and the PAC-12 is not extensive, understandably being on seperate coasts. This is the first time Fordham and UCLA have ever met but will be the ninth time the Rams have played a team from the conference, holding a 2-6 all-time record. Fordham played Southern California in the opening game of the Queens College Holiday Tournament in 1977 and defeated the Trojans, 70-55. The school's only other win came over Oregon State, 46-32, in 1997 at the Rose Hill Gym. UCLA will be the third ranked PAC-12 opponent Fordham has ever faced, after hosting #5/6 Stanford on January 5, 2002, falling, 81-55, and again against the Cardinals, ranked #6/7, 79-53, this time on the road. The Rams have also faced Arizona State (2001, away), California (2013, neutral), and Colorado twice (1980 home, 1997 neutral). The loss to California is Fordham's lone contest against a PAC-12 squad, coming in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after the Rams won the A-10 Championship in 2014.

Counting on Cavanaugh
The redshirt freshman has waited two years to grace a collegiate basketball court in action and her hardwork and perseverence are paying off in a big way. Now a two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, Cavanaugh has scored 10 or more points in all 10 contests to begin her career with three 20-point efforts coming in her last five games and two straight. After scoring between 10-12 points through the first four games, Cavanaugh notched 16 points at Manhattan to go with a season-high seven rebounds, then dropped 21 on Pittsburgh several days later on 7-of-13 shooting. At Penn State, the guard scored just 10 but dished out four assists, grabbed five boards, and notched a pair of steals. After dropping 14 in 24 minutes against Iona, Cavanaugh earned her second weekly honor with back-to-back 20-point games, first tallying 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting in a double overtime win at St. John's, nine of her points coming after regulation to lead Fordham to victory, plus taking a critical charge with under a minute to play in first overtime. On Sunday against Bucknell, she hit a personal-best eight field goals to score a season-high 22 points. Cavanaugh ranks 16th in the country, and third in conference, with 37.7 minutes per game and is shooting 37.9% from the field, 32.0% from deep, and 80.9% from the charity stripe. During the team's recent stretch of six wins in seven games, she leads the team with 16.1 points per game on 43.2% shooting and 38.7% from behind the arc.

Three-Game Winning Streak
The Rams are on a three-game winning streak thanks to big performances by Bre Cavanaugh, G'mrice Davis, and Mary Goulding. Over this stretch, Cavanaugh leads the team with 18.7 points per contest on a blistering 50% shooting from the field (19-of-38) and 45.5% shooting from behind the arc (5-of-11). She has averaged 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals over that time. Davis, as usual, has an average double-double of 16.7 points and 13.0 rebounds, plus six assists, six steals, and two blocks, and has hit 12-of-14 free throws. Goulding has grabbed more offensive boards (11) than defensive (8) and is chipping in 11.0 points and 6.3 rebounds, plus a team-high 15 assists. Lauren Holden has assisted on 11 makes, as well, and is contributing 9.0 points. Johanna Klug has shaken off a slow stretch to average 8.7 points on 75% shooting over these last three games (12-of-15). As a team, the Rams are shotoing 45.7% from the floor and 37.8% from deep, plus 71.8% from the charity stripe, with 14 more assists (46) than turnovers (32). Perhaps most importantly, Fordham has kept its turnovers down to 10.7 per game over that stretch with 15.3 assists.  

Six of Their Last Seven
Expanding upon Fordham's recent stretch of success, with six wins in the last seven contests dating back to mid-November, the Rams have been outscoring opponents by 8.7 points over that span, 62.3 to 53.6, are outshooting oppoents 41.3% to 38.3% from the floor and 33.3% to a paltry 21.5% from behind the arc, and are outrebounding foes 38.6 to 30.3. Cavanaugh is slightly ahead of Davis with 16.1 points per game compared to the senior's 15.8, while Davis did miss one game of action. Klug, in short spurts, is shooting a team-high 55.2% from the floor (16-for-29) and has hit both of her three-point attempts, coming at St. John's, while Davis' 45.8%, Cavanaugh's 43.2%, and Goulding's 42.9% are next. Kendell Heremaia has also shot the ball well, 38.7% from the floor but a team-high 44.4% from downtown (8-of-18) over that span. Goulding's 7.4 rebounds (and team-leading 29 offensive rebounds) trail Davis' 14.2 mark. Goulding and Holden have combined for 48 assists and just 28 turnovers.

Fourth Quarter Rallies
In Fordham's two losses early in the season, the Rams faced double-digit deficits but made furious charges in the final period of action to get close or take the lead. At Boston College, the Eagles led by 12 with 3:23 left in regulation. Fordham responded, however, and rattled off an impressive 10-1 run down to the final 20 seconds where the Eagles were able to hit both of their free throws and solidify the victory. At Albany, the Rams entered the fourth quarter trailing by 11. Fordham had shown flashes in the third quarter, outscoring Albany, 12-11, but was still unable to make up the necessary ground. The Great Danes began the fourth with a short 4-2 run to lead by 13, but after that last basket, it was all Fordham. The Rams rampaged to a one-point lead with 20 seconds to play, capping a 15-1 run, with G'mrice Davis scoring 11 of those points. Unfortunately for Fordham, the Great Danes would tie things up and go on to win in overtime.
 
Slow Starts, Strong Finishes
Over the team's first give games, opponents were outscoring Fordham, 58-49, in first quarters and, after the Pittsburgh game, 75-71, in second quarters. However, the Rams were thriving after halftime, outscoring opponents, 88-67, in third periods and 182-137 combined over the final 20 minutes. Fordham has begun to start contests better, outscoring Penn State, 49-42, over three quarters, and holding a 34-14 halftime lead against Iona, plus a slim 13-10 first quarter lead over St. John's last Tuesday. However, the Rams struggled to start against Bucknell on Sunday, trailing, 16-9, at the end of the first period, and 16-4 with less than two minutes to play, but used a furious 17-0 run and 25-13 second quarter to retake the lead for good. On the year, Fordham is outscoring opponents 595-535 overall and are winning in every quarter, but it's very close in the first and fourth quarters. In opening frames, the Rams are up just four, 125-121, while that goes up to 17, 130-113, in second periods. The halftime breaks lead to strong third quarters, outscoring opponents 168-129 in third quarters, but just 152-148 over the final 10 minutes.
 
Davis Racks Up Preseason Honors
As mentioned, Davis' breakout junior season saw her earn First Team All-Conference and All-Defensive honors, and it was announced at A-10 Media Day that the league's coaches have predicted her to do so again as a senior. Davis was also recently selected as one of 20 players in Division I women's basketball for the inaugural Katrina McClain Award watch list, to be given out to the country's top power forward, starting this season.
 
Fordham Picked to Finish Fifth in Preseason Poll
Likewise, the league's coaches also predicted an identical fifth-place finish for Fordham in the preseason poll. Dayton, last year's champions, garnered eight first-place votes for a total of 182 points, just ahead of Saint Louis, who tallied 174 points and three first-place votes, and Saint Joseph's, with 170 points and the final three first-place votes. Duquesne, with 160 points, rounds out the top five in a predicted fourth-place finish. George Washington (116), La Salle (114), George Mason (79), Richmond (78), and Massachusetts (73) filled out spots 6-10, followed by VCU (56), St. Bonaventure (50), Rhode Island (46), and Davidson (22).
 
Five Fordham Debuts
Five freshmen made their debuts against UMBC, the most since 2011. Three of those freshmen started the contest, the most in the last 15 years. Joey Klug's 13 points were the most by a freshman in her debut since Hannah Missry scored 14 in 2013. Klug became the first freshman to record both a block and a steal in her debut over the last 15 years, as well, and the first to record at least one block since Samantha Clark had two in her 2012 debut. Cavanaugh's 39 minutes were the most by a freshman making her debut since Megan Mahoney played all 40 minutes in 2007.
 
Gaitley Makes History
Stephanie Gaitley reached 100 wins with the Fordham program against Little Rock on November 19, 2016, and later won her 116th contest at home against Massachusetts, 74-43, in February, passing Kathy Mosolino ('74-'80) for the most wins in program history. Gaitley tied and passed the milestone with two typical Gaitley-inspired performances, with three-pointers and excellent defense, holding both opponents below 50 points. Entering the 2017-18 season, Gaitley had 120 wins across six seasons in the Bronx, an average of over 20 per campaign. Her 127 total wins are the second-most of any of Gaitley's stops in her 32-year career as a head coach, ahead of her 116 wins at Richmond (1985-91) but a ways away from her 10-year stint at Saint Joseph's (1991-2001), in which she racked up 196 wins. Gaitley has a career 591-349 record and has the second-most overall wins among active A-10 coaches, behind Saint Louis' Lisa Stone, and has the second-most wins by any Atlantic 10 coach, with 169 between Fordham and Saint Joseph's, but is 69 behind Joe McKeown's record of 240 that he accumulated during his 17 years with George Washington from 1989 to 2008.
 
Opponents Scoring <>
The Rams, all-time, since the move from the AIAW to the NCAA in 1983, have held opponents under 40 points 18 times, all coming in 1990 and beyond. Under Stephanie Gaitley, that number is seven, with Northern Colorado's output of 33 points being the latest. The Bears came into that contest averaging 69 points per contest over five game. Their 33 points were the third-lowest by a Fordham opponent all-time.
 
Fordham on the International Scene
The Rams boast one of the larger international contingents, between players and coaching staff, in the country. Seven different countries are represented: Barbados (Sonia Burke), Fiji (Valerie Nainima, Vilisi Tavui), Germany (Johanna Klug), Latvia (Asnate Fomina), Poland (Angelika Szumilo), and New Zealand (Mary Goulding, Kendell Heremaia, Zara Jillings), and 13 from the USA.
 
Career Milestone Watch
- G'mrice Davis is 40 points away from 1,150
- G'mrice Davis is four rebounds away from 900
- G'mrice Davis is 12 field goals away from 450
- G'mrice Davis is 16 free throws away from 250
- G'mrice Davis is two assists away from 100
- G'mrice Davis is two starts away from 75
- G'mrice Davis is 88 minutes away from 2,800
- Asnate Fomina is two assists away from 150
- Asnate Fomina is 10 steals away from 50
- Asnate Fomina is 13 appearances away from 100
- Lauren Holden is 27 points away from 600
- Lauren Holden is eight field goals away from 200
- Lauren Holden is eight assists away from 150
- Lauren Holden is one appearance from 75
- Lauren Holden is 56 minutes away from 2,300
 
60 is the Magic Number?
The Rams were 15-0 when scoring 60 or more points last season. Fordham was also 11-1 when holding opponents under 50 points (and 13-1 when holding them at 52 or under). The Rams have now scored over 60 points in four straight contests, beginning with a close 65-60 loss at Penn State, but now three straight wins with 78, 67, and 72 points against Iona, at St. John's, and vs. Bucknell, respectively.
 
20 Wins
The 66-61 double overtime win at La Salle last February was Fordham's 20th win of the season. It is the fourth time under Stephanie Gaitley that the Rams have amassed 20 or more wins, and it is the 16th season that Gaitley has personally won 20 or more, out of 31 seasons. Previously, there had been just five 20-win seasons in program history -- three with Kathy Mosolino (1977-80), one under Christina Wielgus (1991-92), and one under Kevin Morris (1993-94).
 
Four Sign NLIs in 2017-18 Recruiting Class
Coach Gaitley announced a four-player class earlier this week, made up of two guards and two forwards, locally from New York and Pennsylvania: Chloe Chaffin, Kaitlyn Downey, Megan Jonassen, and Catherine Polisano. Read more about them HERE.
 
Up Next
The Rams continue their current five-game homestand with the two-day, four-game Fordham Holiday Classic, the 11th year of its existence, which begins Thursday, December 28, at 1 p.m. against Hartford. UC Davis and Yale will play immediately after.