Women's Basketball Competes in Miami Thanksgiving Tournament

Listen Live | Live Stats
Twitter Updates @FordhamWBB
Game Notes
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (3-1) has its first winning streak of the 2016-17 season after its epic 89-82 double overtime win over Albany in the Bronx on Tuesday night. The Rams have traveled down to Miami and will take part in the Hurricanes' Thanksgiving Tournament this weekend, with its first match on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. against Texas Tech. Fordham will play again on Sunday at the same time and will face either Miami or Grambling State.  
 
Last Time Out
Tuesday night's epic double overtime match-up between Fordham and five-time defending America East champion Albany in the Bronx, head coach Stephanie Gaitley's 900^th career contest, had it all: big runs, clutch shots, gritty defense, gutsy performances and a breakneck pace. After several rallies, the Rams controlled the second overtime period and walked away 89-82 victors. Fordham outscored the visitors, 23-19, in the first quarter on very efficient 9-of-12 shooting from the field, 2-for-2 from deep, and hitting all three free throws. The first period was frenetic and offensive but the second quarter became a scrappy affair filled with turnovers and fouls. Albany led by one at the break and controlled most of the second half, down to the final few minutes when the Rams rallied. Senior Danielle Burns hit two big three-point shots in the final minute, the last one coming with a second left in regulation, to force overtime. Albany took three leads in the first overtime period but Fordham answered each time. It was the Great Danes' turn to force a second overtime after Fordham had taken a lead through Mary Goulding's free throws, the team's first lead since late in the third quarter. Tiana-Jo Carter's layup forced the sixth and final frame. Albany's leading scorer, Imani Tate, hit a jumper to get her team on the board quickly but Fordham would shut out its opponent, 9-0, over the next four-plus minutes to earn the hard-fought win.
 
Series History vs. Texas Tech
This will be the second time the two schools have faced one another and the second time in as many seasons. At last year's South Point Invitational in Las Vegas, the Lady Raiders defeated the Rams, 62-48.
 
Scouting the Lady Raiders
Recee' Caldwell, a homeschooled sophomore transfer from UCLA, leads Texas Tech with 26 points per game on 50% shooting from the field and 48.3% shooting from deep. She has poured in 14 three-pointers already in just three games. Caldwell was on fire in an overtime loss at Texas A&M, scoring 38 points, and also adds four rebounds and four assists per game on the season. Jada Terry is next with 16.3 points per game and a team-best 7.7 boards per game, while freshman Arella Guirantes is chopping in 16 points and seven rebounds. Guirantes had 21 points and 13 rebounds, her first double-double of the season, against New Mexico a week ago and was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week.
 
The Lady Raiders are averaging 47.0 rebounds per game and have racked up 21 blocks. Freshman Brittany Brewer has nine swats off the bench in her first three career appearances. Texas Tech corralled a school record 71 rebounds against the Lobos, breaking the previous record by five.
 
None of the Lady Raiders' top three scorers this season played in last year's contest. However, Dayo Olabode and Japreece Dean did and the duo scored 19 and 14 points, respectively, with Olabode adding nine rebounds. 
 
Samantha Clark struggled with foul trouble a year ago and could only score a season-low five points. The Rams were led by Danielle Burns' 10 points and three steals and Asnate Fomina's nine points and five rebounds.
 
Gaitley Hits 100
With the win over Little Rock last Saturday, Stephanie Gaitley has reached 100 wins with the Fordham program. This marks the third school the 31-year veteran head coach has reached the century mark, plus four with at least 95 wins. Gaitley has previously reached the milestone with Richmond and Saint Joseph's, plus garnered 95 wins with LIU Brooklyn, the first three schools she coached at. Her most at a single stop was 196 over a decade with the Hawks. 15 more wins and Gaitley will become the all-time winningest head coach in Fordham history.
 
Gaitley's 900^th Game
Tuesday night's game was Stephanie Gaitley's 900 career contest as a head coach. She has a 565-335 record over 31 seasons with five different schools.
 
565 and Counting
Stephanie Gaitley, among active coaches, has the 21st-most career wins in Division I, with 565 after Saturday's win over Little Rock. All-time, the 31-year veteran coach is 42nd.
 
100 Straight For Burns
Senior Danielle Burns played in her 100th straight game in maroon and white on Saturday against Little Rock. Burns hasn't missed a single contest since arriving in the Bronx, making 49 starts. Fellow seniors Hannah Missry and Danielle Padovano are two and six appearances away from the same milestone.
 
Holden on Fire
The sophomore guard has been very efficient to start the season, shooting 13-of-25 from the field (52.0%) and 7-of-15 (46.7%) from behind the arc. Holden is averaging 10.5 points per game, second-highest on the team, despite taking the fifth-most shots. The sophomore is coming off a career-high 18 points in the double overtime win over Albany with a career-best six rebounds in a career-high 43 minutes played. She is tied for third on the team in assists with five.
 
Missry Breaks Out
Senior guard Hannah Missry had struggled over her first three games this season before Tuesday tonight, scoring 12 points on 4-of-17 from the field. On Tuesday night, Missry bested her career-high for minutes played by four, with 47, and poured in 16 points on 6-11 shooting, including a 5-of-9 clip from beyond the arc. Missry also matched her career-high with three assists.
 
92 To Go
Missry is 92 three-pointers away from breaking Jessica Jenkins' all-time Atlantic 10 record of 338 threes set at St. Bonaventure from 2009-12. Missry recently passed Andrea Hoover (Dayton 2012-15) for 12th-most all-time. Two more for the senior and she will tie April Robinson's recently-set mark of 249 (Duquesne 2013-16), and seven more after that and Missry will join both Amra Mehmedic (Saint Joseph's 2001-04) and Erin Shields (Saint Joseph's 2011-14) in the top-10. Missry has averaged 79.7 three's over her three seasons in the Bronx.
 
G's Two Big Games
Junior forward G'mrice Davis totaled 28 points, 25 rebounds, six steals, and two blocks over two games, at #1 Notre Dame and against Little Rock at home, before struggling with foul trouble against the Great Danes on Tuesday. Against the Fighting Irish, Davis corralled a career-high 15 rebounds and led the team with nine points, three assists, and four steals in 36 minutes, matching a career-high. Against the Trojans, Davis enjoyed her first double-double of the year, notching 19 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals over a team-high 31 minutes.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Fordham has held its opponents to less than 50 points 32 times resulting in 32 victories. Under Gaitley, Fordham is 42-4 in such instances and have now won 33 straight with the most recent win over Little Rock, limiting the Trojans to 43 points. The Rams are 2-0 this season holding opponents under 50 points.
 
Fordham Debuts
Three Rams made their debuts against Furman: redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina started and tallied 10 points and eight rebounds over a team-high 35 minutes, while Mary Goulding and Anna Kelly came off the bench for four and seven points, respectively. Goulding added four rebounds, an assist and a block in 19 minutes, while Kelly added two boards, an assist, and a steal in 11 minutes. Junior transfer Tiffany Suarez made her long-awaited Fordham debut against Little Rock, tallying two points and an assist in nine fourth quarter minutes against the Trojans on Saturday.
 
Five Sign NLIs in 2016-17 Recruiting Class
Coach Gaitley announced this past week the additions of five student-athletes  to national letters of intent: Halei Gillis, Kendell Heremaia, Zara Jillings, Ralene Kwiatkowski, and Vilisi Tavui. Fordham's global reach under Coach Gaitley continues with two players from North Carolina, two from New Zealand, and one from Fiji. The three international players all have experience playing within their countries' junior ranks.
 
You can read all about the five additions here.
 
Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
The Fordham Rams were selected to finish sixth in the annual preseason coaches' poll, announced at A-10 Media Day, held in Richmond, Va., the site of the 2017 A-10 Championship. The Rams finished last season tied for sixth, with an 8-8 conference record, and reached the second round of the conference postseason. Saint Louis, who tied for last year's regular season title and reached the third round of the WNIT, garnered nine first-place votes. Dayton and last year's runner-up Duquesne tied for second in the poll with 166 points apiece, with the latter receiving three first-place votes. Two-time defending champion, George Washington, gathered the remaining two first-place votes and is predicted to finish fourth. Following the Colonials are VCU, Fordham, Richmond, and Saint Joseph's to round out the top eight. Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, George Mason, La Salle, Davidson, and Massachusetts rounded out the preseason rankings, respectively.
 
2015-16 Season Review
The Rams finished last season 14-17 and 8-8 in conference play, defeating Massachusetts in overtime in the first round of the A-10 Championship but falling to eventual runner-up Duquesne in the next round. New Director of Player Development Samantha Clark was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10 as well as to the All-Defensive Team after a fantastic senior campaign where she led the squad with 12.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, also chipping in a team-high 36 blocks and 30 steals. Clark led the A-10 in minutes played per contest (37.2). Fordham will return the other four starters from last season, with three of them averaging between nine and 10 points per game. Junior G'mrice Davis tallied 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per contests with 10 blocks and 21 steals during a solid sophomore season, while Danielle Burns scored 9.6 points per game on 39.8% shooting from the field and led the team with 76 assists. Hannah Missry continued her volume three-point shooting and set the school record for most career long-range makes as a junior, finishing the year with 239. She has averaged 79 threes over her three seasons but will need 100 to break the A-10 career record. Sophomore Lauren Holden solidified her spot as the team's starting point guard as a freshman by averaging 6.3 points per game with 55 assists and 35% shooting from deep, good for third-best on the team. Danielle Padovano and Asnate Fomina were both vital cogs in the rotation off the bench, scoring 4.5 and 4.1 points per game, respectively, while also joining the starting lineup a combined 16 times last season.
 
Fordham WBB Ticket Plans
Two women's ticket options are available:
Flex Plan: $35 for 15 tickets
Community Partner: $100 for 50 tickets
 
With the flex plan option, fans receive 15 ticket vouchers good for use at any Fordham women's basketball game, plus a special Fordham scarf. As a community partner, you also have the opportunity to provide 50 tickets to a group of your choice.

The Rams have eight remaining out-of-conference match-ups within the Rose Hill Gym and seven in Atlantic 10 play, including one nationally televised home contest – the home season finale against Dayton on February 19.
 
You can purchase single game tickets for all home contests here.
 
Up Next
Fordham will play either Miami or Grambling State on Sunday at 2 p.m. If the Rams take on the Hurricanes, the match will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra/ESPN3.
 
Happy Thanksgiving!
A very happy thanksgiving to you and yours today and this weekend, from all of us in Athletic Communications and with the women's basketball program!