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Game NotesThe Fordham women's basketball team begins defense of their Atlantic 10 Championship on Friday, when the Rams host Iona College at the Rose Hill Gym. Game time is set for 11:30 AM, kicking off a tripleheader at the Rose Hill Gym.
The Rams are coming off back-to-back seasons of at least 25 wins, while reaching postseason play in each of those years. After a WNIT bid in 2012-13 that saw the team reach the round of 16, the Rams captured their first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship in 2013-14, receiving the league automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It was Fordham's second trip to the Big Dance, having also made it following the 1993-94 Patriot League Championship season.
Under fourth-year Head Coach Stephanie V. Gaitley, the Rams have a blend of veteran leadership and young talent that can be a factor for the Atlantic 10 Championship for a third straight season.
Fordham has three returning starters from its championship campaign in senior
Emily Tapio, junior
Samantha Clark, and sophomore
Hannah Missry. Tapio was one of the most improved players in the Atlantic 10 a year ago, finishing the season with five double-doubles over the final nine games. She set career-highs in every category and was second on the team in field goal percentage (.568). Clark, a 2013 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection, also took steps forward in her second season at Fordham. She averaged a personal-best 9.1 points per game, while shooting 47% from the field and 32% from three-point range, and was named to the preseason All-Conference Third Team. Missry proved to be one of the most dangerous perimeter shooter in the league, ranking second in three-pointers made per game and fourth in three-point field goal percentage. Her 83 makes from long range was the second-most by a Ram in program history.
As for the young talent, Fordham should see more production out of its sophomore class with
Danielle Burns,
Danielle Padovano, and
Alina Gjerkes all having a full year under their belts.
Fordham also welcomes five newcomers to the team, where for the third straight year, the Rams have a graduate student transfer on the squad. Guard
Tiffany Ruffin comes to Rose Hill to round out her career after playing three seasons at Boston College. She brings an outstanding defensive skill set to the floor and bring valuable experience as a decision maker to the Rams' backcourt.
In addition to Ruffin, the Rams have four freshmen on the squad, two from overseas in
Asnate Fomina and
Britt Zappeij and two from major U.S. cities in
G'mrice Davis and
Aaliyah Jones. Both Fomina, a native of Latvia, and Zappeij, a native of the Netherlands, bring a wealth of high-level international experience, having played for their respective national teams at the U-19 and U-17 levels. From Philadelphia, Davis brings a unique, athletic skill set to the Rams' frontcourt, where she averaged a double-double as a senior in high school, while scoring 26.5 points per game. Jones is the first Brooklyn native to play for the Rams in over a decade and is a former New York Daily News Player of the Year, where she was an explosive offensive force with a high basketball I.Q.
Much like Fordham, the Gaels are also coming off a historic season, where the team won 26 games and received a bid to the WNIT. Iona is coached by Billi Godsey, who was the first rookie coach to win the MAAC Coach of the Year award in over 20 years, and was the WBCA/Spalding Maggie Dixon Division I Rookie Coach of the Year.
At Godsey's disposal are two of the MAAC's top performers in guard Damika Martinez and forward Joy Adams. Martinez, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, is the nation's leading returning scorer, after averaging 24.9 points per game last season. She was the MAAC Player of the Year as a junior and set a school record with 771 points scored. Adams, a Preseason First Team All-MAAC selection, is the second leading returning rebounder in the country, averaging close to 14 boards a game a year ago, while posting a career-best 16.8 scoring average.
