Women's Basketball Set to Host Ninth Annual Fordham Holiday Classic

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BRONX, N.Y. -- The Fordham women's basketball team (4-7) is set to host its annual holiday tournament beginning Tuesday when the Rams play their first-ever matchup with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, with tipoff slated for 1 p.m. Thirty minutes following will be New Mexico State playing Vanderbilt. The two losers play Wednesday at 1 p.m., while the winners play 30 minutes after for the championship. All Fordham games will be streamed for free online on the Atlantic 10 Digital Network as well as an audio broadcast on WFUV.

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI: The Islanders (3-6), who are picked to finish fifth in the 13-team Southland Conference, come to the Bronx riding a four-game losing streak after winning three in a row to start the season 3-2. Sophomore guard Brittany Mbamalu leads the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game and is one of the top three-point shooters in the country, as she is currently fourth in the country in made three's per game with 3.56 while shooting 43.8 percent (32-of-73) from distance. Shay Weaver adds 11.0 points per game, and Camesha Davis leads the team in rebounding (7.6 per game), blocks (10) and steals (10) to go along with 8.0 points per game.
 
SCOUTING VANDERBILT: The Commodores (9-2), who are picked to finish 11th in the 14-team Southeastern Conference, is one of the hotter teams in the country, as they travel to the Bronx on an eight-game winning streak, after losing back-to-back games at Atlantic 10 foe Dayton (81-56) and Green Bay (58-56). Vanderbilt is led in scoring by Rachel Bell (12.0 points per game), who is also shooting 44.3 percent (20-of-54) from downtown. Christa Reed is even more dangerous from long range, as she is connecting at a 46.8 percent (23-of-50) clip while averaging 11.7 points per game. Jasmine Jenkins adds 10.0 points per game, Rayte'a Long is leading the team in rebounding at 4.5 boards per game, and Minta Spears is leader in assists at 5.0 points per game. Vanderbilt as a team ranks ninth in the country in field-goal percentage at 48.9 percent and also rank 13th in the nation in both three-point percentage (39.4) and defense (allowing 51.5 points per game).
 
SCOUTING NEW MEXICO STATE: The Aggies (9-2), who played in last year's NCAA Tournament after winning the Western Athletic Conference, are picked to repeat this season, as they return all five starters and 12 letterwinners. They arrive in the Bronx on a three-game winning streak, after dropping their only two games in a four-point loss at Arizona and a six-point loss at home to UTEP. Sasha Weber is NM State's leading scorer at 13.5 points per game and top three-point threat (42.3 percent, 30-of-71). Brianna Freeman adds 11.7 points and a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game to go along with team highs in blocks (14) and field goal percentage (52.6). Overall, seven players average seven points or more and eight average 15 or more minutes.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Rams have never played Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and New Mexico State while facing Vanderbilt just once.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Senior Samantha Clark scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to lead the Fordham women's basketball team to a 63-48 victory over Central Connecticut (Sunday Dec. 20) inside the Rose Hill Gym. Clark made nine field goals to tie a career high to go along with two assists, two blocks and two steals. Junior Hannah Missry added 13 points, and sophomore G'mrice Davis just missed double figures with nine points and recorded two blocks, which tied a career high.Fordham shot 42.2 percent (19-of-45) from the field, including just 7-of-23 from three-point range, and knocked down 18-of-24 (75.0 percent) from the charity stripe. The defense held CCSU to 34.6 percent (18-of-52) shooting and forced 16 turnovers. The Rams also won the battle on the glass, 37-28.Fordham jumped out to a 9-0 lead to start the game, before the Blue Devils rallied to tie the game at 15-15 late in the first quarter. However, a three from junior Danielle Burns and a pair of free throws from Davis put the Rams back in front for good, as they led after 10 minutes, 20-15. The defense held CCSU to only six points in the second quarter. Fordham increased its lead out to 12, before going into halftime leading 31-21. The Rams led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter and 16 on two occasions in the fourth, as the Blue Devils never threatened the rest of the way.
 
PADOVANO NOMINATED FOR 2016 ALLSTATE WBCA GOOD WORKS TEAM®: Junior Danielle Padovano was selected as one of 257 total nominees (an all-time high) for the 2016 Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Team®, it was announced Wednesday, Dec. 1 by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Allstate Insurance Company. This distinguished award shines a spotlight on a select group of student-athletes who have shown dedication to community service and altruism in their communities. Padovano is the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC). The student-athlete is recognized to be at the heart of the athletics program. The mission of SAAC is to assist in the creation of an environment where all athletes have the opportunity to maximize their academic, personal, and social growth and provide them with tools for a productive and satisfying life during and after college.
 
550: Head Coach Stephanie Gaitley recorded her 550th career victory in the win over Lafayette Nov. 24.
 
1,000-POINT WATCH: Senior Samantha Clark became the 18th player in program history to score 1,000 points with her third-quarter layup with 30 seconds remaining in the stanza. She now has 1,025 career points. Clark also recently grabbed her 700th career rebound and now has 744 for her career, which ranks fourth all-time at Fordham.
 
MISSRY AT FOURTH: Junior Hannah Missry now has 195 career three's, which continues to rank fourth on the all-time list at Fordham. She now needs 39 more to become the program's all-time leader.
 
DEFENSE DOMINATING: Since the beginning of the 2013-14 season, Fordham has held its opponents to less than 50 points 25 times resulting in 25 victories. The Rams are 36-4 in such instances under Coach Gaitley and have won 27 straight. This occurred 12 times last season and three times season with the victories over Manhattan, Lafayette and Central Connecticut.
 
MISSRY IN NATIONAL RANKINGS: Junior Hannah Missry ranks 19th in the country in 3-PT FG's made per game (3.09), 14th in total made 3's (34) & 38th in 3-PT FG % (.442). She leads the Atlantic 10 in all three categories.
 
CLARK'S CAREER OFFENSIVE DAY: Senior Samantha Clark poured in a career-high 23 points and tied a career high in field goals (9) in the victory over Central Connecticut. Her previous career high was 20 points when she made nine field goals in a victory at George Mason last February.

UP NEXT: The Rams begin Atlantic 10 play this Saturday, Jan. 2 when they welcome Davidson to the Rose Hill Gym for a 2 p.m start.