Women's Basketball at Georgetown to Begin Postseason WNIT

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Bronx, N.Y. -- The Fordham women's basketball team (21-11, 11-5 A-10) is back in the WNIT for the third time in the last five seasons, all under head coach Stephanie Gaitley. The Rams have a 3-2 record in their last two appearances. This will be the first time the team has been on the road to start the tournament, at Georgetown (17-12, 9-9 Big East) on Friday night at 7 p.m.

Last Time Out vs. Saint Louis
The Rams performed better against Saint Louis than they did during the regular season but still couldn't slow down First Team All-Conference selections Sadie Stipanovich and Jackie Kemph, the latter also garnering Player of the Year honors for the second straight year. Both teams were extremely hot to start the contest, hitting their first seven shots combined, but the Billikens stayed hot in the early going. Fordham used an 8-0 run in the second frame to take its first lead of the evening, 28-26, but the Billikens finished the half on a 5-0 run to take it right back. The Rams were outshooting and outrebounding their opponents but a shaky performance in the third quarter allowing the Billikens to extend their lead and take the game. G'mrice Davis notched yet another double-double, her 22nd, with 11 points and 15 rebounds, but sophomore Mary Goulding was the star performer for Fordham in her seventh start, becoming the only other Ram to grab 10 or more rebounds and tally a double-double, with a career-high 17 points and 11 rebounds. In fact, it was the first time the Kiwi had scored in double figures, too. Lauren Holden chipped in 13 points and shared the team-high with three assists but the group as a whole had just eight assists on the night although they did limit turnovers to just 10. For the night, Fordham shot 43.8% overall and 31.3% from downtown, plus another typically excellent free throw shooting line of 11-for-12. However, the Billikens sank 8-of-19 threes and shot 48.1% overall, with Stipanovich's 27 points leading the way, just the fourth time an opponent has scored 25 or more points against the Rams this year.

Series History vs. Georgetown
The Hoyas hold a 5-3 all-time advantage since 1971. The two schools met three times in the early '70s after Fordham's formation and Georgetown won two of them, including the first meeting by a score of 31-19. Fordham won in D.C. in 1983, 73-68, and again in 2005 in overtime, 68-62, in the Bronx. Since, the Hoyas have won three straight, once each season from 2006-08, with the most recent result being a 58-46 Rams loss in Washington, D.C.

Scouting the Hoyas
Georgetown is very athletic and, although they don't shoot the ball all that well, the Hoyas take care of the ball (Ninth-fewest turnovers in the country), are terrific on the defensive end, leading the Big East in steals at 9.4, the most by an opponent for Fordham this season, and are very solid on the glass, especially offensive with three players in the top-10 in the conference. The Rams have been crashing the boards better than most opponents in February and March but will need to be on their game in this one. Georgetown finished its regular season with back-to-back road losses, at Marquette and DePaul, and fell again to Marquette in the first round of the Big East Tournament, 80-66. Before that though, they had picked up big home wins over Butler and Xavier. Against St. John's, who defeated Fordham earlier this year, the Hoyas have lost twice, by five at home and 11 on the road. Head coach DIJISDJFISDJF has a pretty set rotation of about eight or nine players. Three players to watch out for: Dionna White, Dorothy Adomako, and Faith Woodard. All three score between 14.6 and 15.2 per game, with White on the high end of that spectrum, and averageing 5.0 rebounds per contest, plus 89 assists and a team-high 93 steals. White's 93 steals and 3.3 per game lead the Big East by far and rank 14th and eighth in all of Division I, as well. Woodard and Adomako average 7.8 and 6.3 boards per game, respectively, plus 46 and 36 steals, respectively. Woodard has also chipped in 46 steals. No other player averages more than 5.7 points but DiDi Burton is the team's point guard, with 101 assists and 47 steals, and Cynthia Petke adds 4.9 points and 6.4 rebounds usually off the bench. Jade Martin is also very solid on the defensive end as a bench player, too.

Davis Named First-Team All-Conference
Junior forward G'mrice Davis has enjoyed a tremendous campaign and was rewarded for her performance with both First Team All-Conference and All-Defensive Team recognition. She is the second Ram to ever garner first team honors in the A-10 behind Erin Rooney and the third to be named All-Defensive, with the most recent being former teammate Samantha Clark last season. Davis has led the Rams with 14.5 points and 12.5 rebounds per game this year, with 21 double-doubles, and has been ranked second nationally among the major rebounding categories for nearly the entire year. She is the second Ram to ever average more than 10 boards per game and her 389 rebounds rank fifth all-time in program history.

Kreslina, Missry Garner End-of-Season Accolades
Redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina earned All-Rookie honors by starting all 28 contests that she was available for this season and providing a steady presence with her terrific two-way play. The Latvian international has averaged 8.8 points per game on 39.8% shooting from the field and 37.9% from behind the arc, while playing just 27.6 minutes per contest. Kreslina is third in the squad with 86 rebounds, fourth with 49 assists, and fourth with 33 three-pointers. Senior Hannah Missry earned All-Academic honors for her efforts on and off the court. Missry finished her undergraduate degree in three years and is expected to attain her Master's degree in May in Media Management, holding a 3.9 GPA in her grad studies adn a 3.74 GPA in undergrad. She also recently became the third student-athlete to make 300 threes in Atlantic-10 history and is Fordham's all-time leader from behind the arc by a wide margin, 67 more than Heather Donlon '93.

Gaitley Makes History
Stephanie Gaitley reached 100 wins with the Fordham program against Little Rock on November 19 and later won her 116th at home against Massachusetts, 74-43, 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. She has now reached 116 wins at three different schools: Fordham, Richmond, and Saint Joseph's.

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 174 but needs 67 more to break Joe McKeown's all-time record of 240 that he accumulated in 17 seasons at the helm of George Washington from 1989-2008.

20 Wins
Last Wednesday's 66-61 double overtime win at La Salle 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. 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 with Christina Wielgus (1991-92), and one with Kevin Morris (1993-94).

Missry Hits 1,000 Points
Senior guard Hannah Missry needed nine points entering the New Year's Day matinee at Rhode Island to reach the career milestone and, fittingly, knocked down her first three triples in the first quarter to become the 19th Ram to ever reach the mark. The Manasquan, N.J. native accomplished the feat in her 110th appearance (105th start). Since, the senior guard has moved past Carol Elser '85, Stacey Paukovitz '93, and former teammate Erin Rooney '14 and now stands tied for 15th, with fellow three-point extrodinaire Heather Donlon '93, with 1,121 career points.

Fordham Seniors On the Accelerated Track
Featured in a Sunday edition of the New York Times in early January, Ram seniors Danielle Burns, Hannah Missry, and Danielle Padovano's story of being the only three seniors in any program in the country to graduate in three years and be currently enrolled in a  masters program as seniors, was told. Interestingly, all three are also earning the same degree -- Media Management.

Conference Play
Fordham finished league play with a 11-5, good for fifth place. It had been a roller coaster ride for the Rams in conference action, first matching the program's best-ever start, in any league, with six straight wins before dropping four consecutive contests, then winning three in a row at home before a last-second loss at Davidson and then two straight thrilling wins to wrap up the regular season. Fordham outscored opponents 60.4 to 54.4 (+6.0) with G'mrice Davis leading the way with 15.5 points and 12.4 rebounds per game and a double-double in all but three games - against Duquesne where she missed it by one point (9 pts, 10 reb), Dayton where she missed by one rebound, and at St. Bonaventure where she finished with just seven boards. The junior converted her attempts at a 49.3% clip.  Danielle Burns, Kate Kreslina, Hannah Missry, and Lauren Holden all chipped in between 9.3 and 8.0 points per game, as well, with Burns leading the squad with 34 assists, five more than Asnate Fomina, who had 29 despite playing just 13.6 minutes off the bench. Hannah Missry hit 39.6% of her A-10 three-point attempts (36-of-91) and averaged 8.6 points per game. Kate Kreslina shot 37.6% from the floor, while Anna Kelly converted at a 43.5% rate off the bench. During the four-game losing streak, the Rams struggled from the field, shooting 34.6% overall (74-of-214) and just 23.9% from deep (17-of-71). Fordham struggled to create, with just 9.5 assists compared to 15.5 turnovers per game but improved on that with 13 and 12, respectively, against the Bonnies. Fordham's non-Davis starters were a combined 29-of-113 (25.7%) during the slide.

G'mrice is Rolling
The Philly native is absolutely rolling over her past 21 games, scoring in double figures in every contest and missing out on a double-double just three times. Since a season-low four points against St. John's at home, the junior has been averaging 16.0 points and 13.3 rebounds per contest on 48.3% shooting to go with 11 blocks and 18 steals across a team-high 34.0 minutes. During the stretch, Davis collected two A-10 Player of the Week honors and the Rams have gone 14-7.

The Bronx is Our House
The Rams are 16-3 this season in the Bronx, as opposed to a 4-6 record on the road and 1-2 at neutral sites. They are 7-1 at home during conference play for the second year in a row. Since Stephanie Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, Fordham holds a 71-24 (74.7%) record at home and a 66-16 (80.5%) record over the last five seasons.

60 is the Magic Number?
The Rams are 14-0 when scoring 60 or more points this season. Fordham is also 10-1 when holding opponents under 50 points (and 12-1 when holding them at 52 or under).

Iron Women
Seniors Danielle Burns, Hannah Missry, and Danielle Padovano have been three of the most durable players in program history and are near the top of the all-time games played and appearances lists. Burns has never missed a contest in her four years in the Bronx and made her 129th career appearance against Saint Louis. She has made 70 overall starts, including a stretch of 47 straight, before coming off the bench the past seven games. Hannah Missry is a four-year starter who has made 121 starts in 126 appearances. They are the fifth and sixth Rams, respectively, to ever make 120 appearances. Missry is second all-time in career starts behind former teammate Samantha Clark '16, who made 126 starts. Burns has passed both Anne Gregory '80 and former teammate Abigail Corning '14 for third all-time, while Missry is one game away from tying the duo. Padovano recently played in her 119th game as a Ram against La Salle and will become the seventh Ram to reach the 120-game mark should she check in against Georgetown. All three are in the top-10 in career games played.

Got a Minute?
Expanding on the durability of Burns and Missry, the former recently became the 13th player in school history to play 3,000 minutes for the Rams. She's currently at 3,002. Missry, however, as a four-year starter, recently surged up the top-10 and currently sits third all-time with  3,748 minutes played. The senior has started 69 consecutive contests.

Defense, Defense, Defense
Saint Joseph's ended the ultimate Stephanie Gaitley-inspired program streak of 38 straight wins, dating back to the end of the 2012-13 season, in which Fordham held opponents under 50 points. The Hawks defeated the Rams, 47-44, at Hagan Arena in mid-January. Coincidentally, the last time before that in which Fordham lost in such a way was also to Saint Joseph's, in the 2013 A-10 Championship game at the Barclays Center, 47-46. The Rams began a new streak last Saturday by defeating St. Bonaventure, 57-45, and have made it three straight by holding the Hawks to 39 points and UMass to 43. This season, Fordham is 10-1 in such contests, including five in conference play, plus holding Duquesne to 51 points on December 1. Overall, under Gaitley, the Rams are 49-5 in such wins.

Defense Part Deux
Through 32 games this season, Fordham's defense has limited opposing scoring to just 56.0 points per contest, ranking 20th in the country. Part of that is due to the Rams' stingy perimeter D that has held opponents to just 27.6% (105-for-384) shooting from beyond the arc, currently situated at 16th nationally. Before Saint Louis shot 8-of-19 on March 3, Fordham had held its previous six opponents to just 15-of-82 shooting from deep (18.3%).

Threes and Free Throws, All-Time
Fordham has made 207 threes this season, ranked 90th in the country, and are converting free throws at a 75.6% clip. The total of three-pointers is tied for second-most all-time in a season in program history and, similarly, that free throw percentage currently ranks third in school history. The 2012-13 Rams made 207 threes and a year later, the team made a record 244, both under Coach Gaitley.

A-10 Ranks
The Rams are atop the league in scoring defense (56.0 pts/game), free throw percentage (75.6%), three-point defense (27.6%), and rebounding defense, holding opponents to just 33.5 boards per game. Fordham is also fourth in scoring margin (+3.8), field goal percentage (39.4%), assist/turnover ratio (0.8), three-pointers per game (6.5), and three-point shooting (33.3%). On the individual level, G'mrice Davis' 12.6 rebounds per game leads the league as does her 10.0 defensive boards. Davis' 48.2% percentage from the field ranks fourth. Hannah Missry's 2.0   triples per contest ranks fifth-most in the conference, as well.

You Know You're Gould
Sophomore transfer Mary Goulding had been a solid bench piece for most of this season, sprinkling in rebounds, assists, and the plays that don't make it onto the stat sheet. After missing two games due to illness at the start of the new year, Goulding played a total of 38 minutes over her next seven contests. However, she was inserted into the starting lineup on February 9 against Saint Joseph's and has impressed. Her first two games were shaky but she took off from there, putting up matching six point/seven rebound lines at Davidson and at home against Dayton, grabbing nine offensive rebounds of 14 total. In the first round of the A-10 Championship, Goulding notched five points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out three assists in 25 minutes, but saved her best for last, with her first career double-double and the only one that hasn't come from G'mrice Davis, with career-highs across the board: 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 11 rebounds in just 26 minutes. Over her last five games, the Kiwi is averaging 6.8 points, 7.4 rebounds (3.0 on offensive glass), and 1.8 assists while shooting 13-of-26 (50.0%) from the field.

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 3/16/17): Davis' 404 rebounds, 10.0 defensive rebounds per game and 12.6 rebounding average are all second in the nation. Additionally, her 21 double-doubles rank second, as well. Davis has tallied 12 or more rebounds in 19 contests and has notched double-doubles in 18 of her last 21 contests.

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, 12.5, came in 1979-80 during her senior year and G'mrice Davis currently bests that by .1. She will be just the second Ram to ever grab double figure rebounds per contest over a season. Davis' 404 boards currently rank fifth-most in a single season and her 8.1 career average is third-highest in program history.

Actively One of the Best from Deep
Hannah Missry has amassed 303 three-pointers in her career in the Bronx and is sixth among active players in Division I for all-time downtown makes. Missry has recently passed Suntana Granderson (Xavier '04-'07), Lisa Cermignaro (George Washington '94-'97), Amy Waugh (Xavier '00-'03), Stefanie Collins (St. Bonaventure '02-'06), and now both Cathy Jones (George Washington '00-'04) and Suzie Dailer (St. Bonaventure '92-'95) for third-most all-time in A-10 history. She needs two more to pass Nicole Levandusky (Xavier '98-'01) for second. Missry is the third player in Atlantic 10 history to reach 300 career threes.

Limiting Fouls and Turnovers
Fordham ranks inside the top-100 in both categories, ranking 75th with just 437 turnovers this season and 90th overall with 499 fouls committed. The Rams cough up the ball just 13.7 times per game and commit 15.6 fouls per game as a team, ranked 48th and 60th, respectively.

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 win over Davidson, she has now set three new scoring career-highs, as well, first with 22 points against Boston College, 24 in the Battle of the Bronx, and now 27 against the Wildcats. At La Salle in double overtime, Davis played 41 minutes, a new career-best after hitting the 40-minute mark three times during the regular season.

Missry For Three!
Hannah Missry tied and broke the all-time Fordham career three-point record last season against St. Bonaventure (2/24/16) with two timely second-half bombs, tying and moving past Heather Donlon (1989-93) on the all-time list. Missry finished her season with five more long-range efforts over the next three contests and began her senior campaign with 239. This year, the senior is shooting 64-of-188 from deep (34.0%) and has enjoyed some success in recent games, hitting between two and five triples in 11 of the last 17 contests. Her 2.0 per-game average ranks fifth in the conference.

36 To Go
Missry is 36 three-pointers away from breaking Jessica Jenkins' all-time Atlantic 10 record of 338 threes set at St. Bonaventure from 2009-12. The Manasquan, N.J. native is on pace to finish second or third, depending on if she hits at least three in the WNIT.

Fordham's Charity
Fordham is 29th in the country thus far with a 75.6% clip from the free throw line. The Rams have spent a large portion of this season atop the A-10 leaderboards. That current mark would be the third-best in program history.

Fomina Facilitating Off the Bench
Fomina leads the team with 61 dimes, despite averaging just 14.5 minutes off the bench. Her lone start came against Davidson, playing 22 minutes and assisting on five buckets. The junior began the year with at least one assist in each of the first 10 games, including five at Iona, and enjoyed a solid stretch of between three and five dimes in six straight contests over a three-week span from mid-December to early-January.

Spreading the Wealth
While most teams will have a standout point guard who racks up all the assists, Fordham's offense doesn't flow through any one player. The Rams spread the ball around pretty evenly and it has resulted in four players having between 52 and 61 assists on the year. Asnate Fomina leads the way with 61 off the bench but Danielle Burns' 60 is right behind her as is guard Lauren Holden's 58. Two others, G'mrice Davis and Hannah Missry also contribute 39 and 30 dimes, respectively.

Kiwis Enroll Early
Two of Fordham's Class of 2021 recruits have joined the team and have been declared eligible to practice and compete. However, the two Kiwis, Kendell Heremaia and Zara Jillings, will redshirt and sit out the remainder of this season. Natives of New Zealand, the duo's school year ended this winter and the pair enrolled early to get integrated into the program. Jillings and Heremaia have taken jersey numbers 15 and 30, respectively, for now.

Up Next
The winner of Friday's contest will play either Penn State or Ohio on Sunday. Location to be determined.