Women's Basketball Begins Conference Play by Hosting George Washington on Sunday

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (9-4) rebounded from a tough midweek loss to #11/12 UCLA by getting back to its winning ways and taking home the 11th annual Fordham Holiday Classic with wins over Hartord and UC Davis on Thursday and Friday. The Rams face a quick turnaround with just one day in between contests and the onset of Atlantic 10 play. George Washington (5-7) will arrive in the Bronx to finish Fordham's five-game homestand and kick off league play, starting at 2 p.m. on New Year's Eve afternoon.
 
Upcoming Promotions
Superhero Day: All children 8^th grade and younger can dress up like their favorite superheroes and get in for FREE on Saturday, January 6 against Saint Louis! Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
 
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!
 
Ginny Doyle Free Throw Contest: Girls and Boys grades 3-8 (excluding 8^th graders at the high school level) are eligible to compete. Interested teams must signed up and hold their own contests at their respective gyms. Ask your coach for specific date and times. Winners (up to two) from each team's contest will meet in the championship round at Fordham's Rose Hill Gym on January 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Winners will be named in three different grade brackets (3^rd and 4^th, 5^th and 6^th, and 7^th and 8^th). Each participant will have 20 shots. Cost is $10 to participate with all donations going towards the Ginny Doyle Women's Basketball Foundation. Every single participating player will receive a free ticket to Fordham's game against Dayton on the 17^th. MORE INFORMATION.
 
Last Time Out vs. Hartford/UC Davis
The Rams led from start to finish against Hartford, beginning with a 9-0 run and eventually running up a 69-44 final score over the Hawks, the team's second-largest margin of victory on the season, to kick off the Holiday Classic in style. G'mrice Davis, who had missed double-doubles in two straight contests after eight consecutive to begin the season, piled up a team-high 21 points and 13 rebounds, plus three assists and a steal over 36 minutes. Johanna Klug converted a season-high eight-of-10 field goal attempts for a personal-best 18 points, while matching a season-high seven rebounds before fouling out. The freshman forward added a pair of steals and blocks. Junior tri-captain Lauren Holden chipped in 17 points and five boards, one shy of each career-high, while Bre Cavanaugh added eight points and a season-high eight boards, plus two assists and three steals. Kendell Heremaia led the squad with four assists while making her sixth start of the season.
 
Fordham looked a little gassed to begin the championship against UC Davis, falling behind 17-4 in the first quarter, but the team regrouped and scored six unanswered points to end the frame, which began a long run to retake the lead midway through the second quarter. Fordham outscored the Aggies, 18-8, in the second frame to take a 28-25 lead at the half. Fordham padded its lead with a 14-10 third quarter before the floodgates opened up for a 28-27 back-and-forth final 10 minutes that saw the Rams withstand a late charge and push their lead into double figures with a late run of their own. Fordham shot 8-of-14 (57.1%) in the second frame and 10-of-15 (66.7%) in the final period to get the win. Davis made it two straight efficient double-doubles with 19 points (on 9-of-14 shooting) with 13 rebounds, but it was also Cavanaugh who poured in a career-high 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting and 6-of-8 from the line, with 15 of those points coming in the fourth quarter. Holden added 15 and Klug chipped in 12, the latter leading the squad with four assists, as well. Cavanaugh, Davis, and Holden each played the full 40 minutes.
 
Series History vs. George Washington
The Colonials hold a 20-4 all-time advantage over Fordham since 1996 when the Rams first entered the Atlantic 10. George Washington won the first 16 contests in the series from that year until a three-point Fordham win in the Bronx in 2011. The Rams other three wins came in 2013, 2014, and 2016, with all of them coming at the Rose Hill Gym. Last year, Fordham fell, 63-46, in our nation's capital despite G'mrice Davis' 18 points and 14 rebounds. Non-Davis players shot just 10-of-33 from the floor with 13 turnovers.
 
Holiday Classic History
This week was the 11^th straight year that Fordham has hosted its Holiday Classic tournament, timed between Christmas and New Year's Day. Fordham is now a three-time champion, winning in 2008 over Bryant and 2013 over Harvard previously. They are also three-time runners-up. G'mrice Davis' 15 rebounds last year against Buffalo tied the tournament record with Siena's Serena Moore in 2010. Lauren Holden was named to the All-Tournament squad a year ago. This year, Davis was named MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament team by Holden and Bre Cavanaugh.
 
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 career points with her first basket at Albany. The Philadelphia native now sits on 1,157 career points, having just passed former teammate Hannah Missry ('17) and Cecelia Wanker ('83), and moving up to 13th all-time in program history. Mary Ann Bilotti ('80) and Mobolaji Akiode ('03) are next with 1,164 and 1,167, respectively.
 
Top-15 Ranked Defense
Stephanie Gaitley's Rams have spent the majority of this season in the top-10 nationally in scoring defense and were ranked ninth heading into last week's match-up with #11/12 UCLA. The Bruins scored 67 points in that one, their third-lowest output of the year, but it dropped Fordham to 21st in the country. The Rams rebounded with two victories this week, holding Hartford to 44 points and UC Davis to 62, and have jumped back into the top-15, now ranked 15th in the nation with 54.5 points allowed per contest. Fordham has allowed five 60-point games to opponents in its last seven contests, but hold a 5-2 record over that span. All other opponents this season have scored between 33 and 59 points, with just seven of 13 opponents reaching the 55-point mark. Opponents are shooting 39.0% from the field but just 27.2% from behind the arc, ranked 39th in the country. Under Gaitley, the Rams have been a top-50 defense in all six of her previous seasons and have finished within the top-20 in half of those.
 
One of the Nation's Top Rebounders
G'mrice Davis, the nation's returning leading rebounder, hasn't missed a beat, leading all of Division I with 10.6 defensive boards per contest, and is second with 13.3 rebounds per game., behind conference rival Natalie Butler of George Mason, who averages 13.9. The senior's 10 double-doubles ranks third in the country, as well. Davis has tallied at least 13 points, 13 rebounds, and one steal in all but three contests this year.
 
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 turnovers and sinking free throws at solid rates. Fordham ranks 11th in Division I with just 13.8 personal fouls per game, and 37th with 180 total fouls. Both marks rank first in the conference. At the free throw line, the Rams convert on 74.5% of their attempts, ranked third in the A-10 and 45th in the country. Opposing teams are also hitting just 27.2% of long-range attempts, ranked 39th. It's not just Davis helping clean up the boards, too, with six others averaging 2.8 or more boards per game. The group unsurprisingly rank 64th overall with an +6.4 rebounding margin over opponents, of whom just St. John's and UCLA have bested on the glass. \
 
Lauren Holden ranks second in Division I in minutes played per game, at 39.2, and sixth in total minutes with 510. The junior guard played all 50 minutes at St. John's and has gone the distance in eight contests out of 13. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis have also been asked to log heavy minutes this year, ranked 15th and 17th, respectively, with 37.6 and 37.5 minutes per contest.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
A staple of the Gaitley-led Rams is defense, and no stat better represents that than Fordham's 53-5 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 4-0 this season.
 
Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams' defense have ranked within the top-50 in every season, and within the top-20 at the conclusion of half of them. 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 holding opponents at 54.5 points per game, which ranks 15th in the country.
 
Cavanaugh Named A-10 Rookie of the Week Again
Redshirt freshman Bre Cavanaugh was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week last 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 four weeks. The Allamuchy, N.J. native was critial to the team's success in beating St. John's and Bucknell, 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. Against Bucknell, she scored all 22 of her points after the first quarter on a career-best eight field goals with two more threes, six rebounds, and two steals over 38 minutes.
 
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. This year, they are 7-1 thus far. Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams hold a 78-25 (75.7%) record at home across 103 contests. 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 during her tenure.
 
Got a Minute?
Junior tri-captain Lauren Holden ranks second in the country with 39.2 minutes played per contest, and is sixth with 510 total minutes played. She has gone the distance on eight separate occasions 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 and all 45 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, with about 200 minutes to go. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis are also inside the top-20 nationally in minutes played, with 37.6 and 37.5, respectively, ranked 15th and 17th, respectively.
 
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' 488 rebounds, 156 have come on the offensive glass, or just under one third of the time (31.9%). For the season, Goulding and Davis each have grabbed 33 offensive boards, with the former tallying more on the offensive glass than defensive (25). Johanna Klug's tallied 24 offensive boards to 25 defensive, and a third of Zara Jillings' 24 rebounds come on the offensive end, as well. Three others have at least seven on the year.
 
Counting on Cavanaugh
The redshirt freshman waited two years to grace a collegiate basketball court in an official capacity 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 but two contests to begin her career with four 20-point efforts coming in her last eight games. After scoring between 10-12 points through the first four games, Cavanaugh notched 16 points at Manhattan to go with 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. Against Bucknell, she hit a personal-best eight field goals to score a then-season-high 22 points.  Last Wednesday against UCLA, although she did lead the team in scoring, she failed to hit double digits, finishing with nine points on 2-of-12 shooting. The redshirt frosh scored just eight against Hartford but grabbed a personal-best eight boards and matched a season-high with three steals. Cavanaugh lit it up against UC Davis, especially in the fourth quarter, scoring 15 of her team-high 24 points in the final period to lead Fordham to victory. Cavanaugh ranks 15th in the country, and second in conference, with 37.6 minutes per game and is shooting 36.4% from the field, 29.2% from deep, and 81.4% from the charity stripe. During the team's recent stretch of six wins in seven games, prior to the UCLA loss, she led the team with 16.1 points per game on 43.2% shooting and 38.7% from behind the arc.
 
Klug Gaining Confidence
The freshman forward from Germany started her Fordham career with a bang, dropping 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting and 7-of-9 shooting from the line, with seven rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal across 30 minutes. However, Klug, a starter in all but one contest this season, fell into a slump over her next seven games. During that span, Klug averaged just 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds over 20.4 minutes per game, with 35.7% shooting and just six free-throw attempts, plus an assist/turnover ratio of 3/18. Since then, the freshman has grown in confidence and it has shown, with Fordham recording a 4-1 record as Klug has averaged 10.4 points on a blistering 67.6% from the floor (23-of-34), 4.6 rebounds per game (including 11 offensive boards) and nine assists to just three turnovers. Klug has also blocked five shots and is averaging 32.6 minutes per game. In Fordham's nine wins this year, Klug is scoring 8.8 points on 59.3% shooting across 27.4 minutes per game. The German international's 52.9% field goal shooting this season would rank fifth in the Atlantic 10 if she met the minimum attempt requirements.
 
Three-Game Winning Streak
The Rams enjoyed a three-game winning streak before the loss to UCLA, thanks to big performances by Bre Cavanaugh, G'mrice Davis, and Mary Goulding. Over that stretch, Cavanaugh led 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 averaged 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals over that time. Davis, as usual, had an average double-double of 16.7 points and 13.0 rebounds, plus six assists, six steals, and two blocks, and hit 12-of-14 free throws. Goulding grabbed more offensive boards (11) than defensive (8) and chipped in 11.0 points and 6.3 rebounds, plus a team-high 15 assists. Lauren Holden assisted on 11 makes, as well, and contributed 9.0 points per game. Johanna Klug had shaken off a slow stretch to average 8.7 points on 75% shooting over those three games (12-of-15). As a team, the Rams shot 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 kept its turnovers down to 10.7 per game over that stretch with 15.3 assists. 
 
Six in Seven
Expanding upon that stretch of success, with six wins over seven contests over four weeks in November and December, the Rams were outscoring opponents by 8.7 points over that span, 62.3 to 53.6, were outshooting oppoents 41.3% to 38.3% from the floor and 33.3% to a paltry 21.5% from behind the arc, and were outrebounding foes 38.6 to 30.3. Cavanaugh was 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, shot a team-high 55.2% from the floor (16-for-29) and 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% were next. Kendell Heremaia 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 combined for 48 assists and just 28 turnovers during the run.
 
Slow Starts, Strong Finishes
This season, the Rams are scoring 165 and 166 points in the first two quarters of games, respectively, before turning on the jets in second halves, with 204 and 209 points scored in the third and fourth quarters. Fordham is outscoring its opponents in all four periods, none moreso than in the 10 minutes after halftime, 204-169, plus a 166-150 mark in second quarters. Ram foes are scoring just six points less in opening frames but have kept things close in fourth quarters, with 206 points scored.
 
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 129 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 593-350 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 171 between Fordham and Saint Joseph's, but is 67 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. Jillings and Klug each participated with their respective national teams over the summer, with the former playing sporadically for the New Zealand senior national team and Klug helped lead Germany to the European U20 B championship. 
 
Career Milestone Watch
- G'mrice Davis is 43 points away from 1,200
- G'mrice Davis is 20 rebounds away from 950
- G'mrice Davis is 27 offensive rebounds away from 250
- G'mrice Davis is seven free throws away from 250
- G'mrice Davis is 43 field goals away from 500
- G'mrice Davis is five appearances away from 110
- G'mrice Davis is 174 minutes away from 3,000
- 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 39 points away from 650
- Lauren Holden is 47 field goals away from 250
- Lauren Holden is four assists away from 150
- Lauren Holden is 42 minutes away from 2,400
 
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). After scoring at or under 55 points across their first six contests this year, the Rams have scored 60 or more in six of the last seven contests, with a 5-1 record when hitting the 60-point mark.
 
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 travel to Massachusetts on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. encounter in Amherst, before returning to the Bronx to host Saint Louis in a nationally televised 1 p.m. contest next Saturday afternoon.