Women's Basketball Hosts Princeton Saturday

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (6-3, 1-0 A-10) looks to rebound from its first loss in two weeks when it hosts Princeton (4-4, 0-0 Ivy) on Saturday afternoon in the Bronx. The contest is the first in a six-game homestand that will feature the 10^th annual Fordham Holiday Classic later this month.
 
Women's Basketball Promotions
There are several promotions going on associated with the Fordham women's basketball program.
 
There will be a "Battle of the Bronx" fundraiser where both the men's and women's teams of Fordham and Manhattan will try to raise the most money leading up to next Saturday's game against Manhattan. The fundraiser begins this Saturday when the men's basketball team travels to take on the Jaspers. Check the Princeton postgame story for links to donate (and @FordhamWBB on Twitter!).
 
Fans can also bring a toy for the school's annual toy drive and use it to attend the game for free. This includes Saturday's game with Princeton and Tuesday night's against St. John's.
 
Women's basketball is also hosting a coloring contest for young fans, with prizes for the best renditions given out to three different age groups. Read more about it here.
 
Finally, interested youth groups should check out the Women's basketball program's Harry's Hustler's young group initiative to attend home games and participate in a variety of activities and opportunities.
 
Last Time Out at Iona
It was a tale of two halves on Wednesday afternoon in New Rochelle, N.Y., with a scrappy and defensive first half leading into a more open second stanza that was filled with Fordham missed shots. The Rams were getting several good looks but weren't able to put away their opportunities as the hosts rallied from five-down in the third quarter to eventually lead by double digits until the last few seconds. Fordham took the third-highest shots from the field this season and the most three-point attempts, but hit just 30.4% overall and 25.9% from downtown. The Rams also attempted a season-low six free throws. However, Fordham did rack up a season-high 10 steals on the day.
 
Junior forward G'mrice Davis once again led the way with her fourth double-double of the season (12 points, 14 rebounds) to go with three steals while playing every single minute of the game, a new career-high. Sophomore point guard Lauren Holden bounced back from a two-game drought without a field goal to hit 4-of-11 shots for 11 points, adding three assists. The three other starters combined for just 11 points on 4-for-21 shooting from the floor. Senior Danielle Padovano came off the bench for a season-high seven fourth quarter points, while junior guard Asnate Fomina pitched in two points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals off the bench in 21 minutes.
 
Series History vs. Princeton
The Tigers lead the all-time series, 6-4, since 1980. Princeton has won the last four contests dating back to 2008, including a 55-44 win last December 14 in Princeton. Before 2008, the last meeting between the two schools was also the last win for Fordham, a 49-43 decision in New Jersey in 1985.
 
Scouting the Tigers
The Tigers went 23-8 last season and became the first Ivy League team to reach the NCAA Tournament as an At-Large bid after failing to secure a 13th league title. Head coach Courtney Banghart, the 2015 Naismith National Coach of the Year and one of Fortune Magazine's 50 Greatest Leaders that year, is the program's all-time winningest head coach and always has a competitive squad.
 
Princeton began its season 0-4, with losses against Rider, at George Washington, against Dayton, and at Delaware, but have rattled off four straight wins over Rutgers (by 30), UMBC, Seton Hall, and Lafayette. In the latter contest, the Tigers held the Leopards to just 27 points. Princeton has outscored its opponents 292-186 over this span and are averaging 73.0 points per game.
 
Princeton is led by Bella Alarie's 12.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. The freshman also has tallied 12 blocks and seven steals thus far while averaging 30.5 minutes per game. Tia Weledji is next with 10.1 points per game. Leslie Robinson, niece of Michele Obama, shoots 51.9% from the field, averaging 8.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest. She also leads the team with 21 assists. Her and Taylor Brown are tied with a team-high 12 steals. Princeton ranks second in the conference with 8.1 steals per game. Brown and Weledji have been particularly hot lately, shooting 62% (8-of-13) and 54.5% (6-of-11) from deep recently.
 
Gaitley Hits 100
Stephanie Gaitley reached 100 wins with the Fordham program against Little Rock on November 19. This marks the third school the 31-year veteran head coach has reached the century mark, plus four with at least 95 wins. Gaitley had previously reached the milestone with Richmond and Saint Joseph's, plus compiled 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. 12 more wins and Gaitley will become the all-time winningest head coach in Fordham history.
 
Gaitley's 900^th Game
The double overtime win over Albany on November 22 was Stephanie Gaitley's 900 career contest as a head coach. She has a 568-337 record over 31 seasons with five different schools.
 
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 160 with the win over Grambling State but needs 81 more to break Joe McKeown's all-time record of 240.
 
568 and Counting
Stephanie Gaitley, among active coaches, has the 21st-most career wins in Division I, with 568 after last Sunday's win over Boston College. All-time, the 31-year veteran coach is 42nd.
 
The Road to 1,000
Senior guard Hannah Missry looks set to become the 19th member of the 1,000 point club in Fordham program history, needing 54 points to get there. She is currently averaging 7.8 points per game, which would project her to reach the milestone in the first contest of 2017 -- at Rhode Island. Missry is already the program's leading three-point shooter, having passed Heather Donlon's long-standing record of 233 last season, with 257 career makes through 103 appearances (98 starts).
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Fordham has held its opponents to less than 50 points 33 times resulting in 33 victories. Overall under Gaitley, Fordham is 43-4 in such instances and have now won 35 straight with the most recent win over Boston College, limiting the Eagles to 49 points. The Rams are 3-0 this season holding opponents under 50 points (and 4-0 holding them at 51 and under).
 
Defense Part Deux
Through nine games this season, Fordham's defense has limited opposing scoring to just 56.2 points per contest, ranking 50th in the country. Part of that is due to the Rams' stingy perimeter D that has held opponents to just 24.6% shooting from beyond the arc, currently situated at 15th nationally.
 
Leading the A-10
The Rams currently lead the conference in three categories: free throw percentage (78.4%), made three-pointers per game (6.4), and three-point defense (24.6%). The Rams are also second in scoring defense (56.2).
 
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 12/8/16): Davis' nine defensive rebounds per game are third-most in the nation, her 108 total rebounds rank fourth, and her 12.0 rebounding average is sxith overall. Additionally, her four double-doubles in nine games rank 20th in the country. Davis tallied her fourth double-double at Iona on Wednesday, with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and her current 12.0 rebounds per game average would make her the second Ram ever to average double-digit rebounds in a single season. Anne Gregory did it four times.
 
Actively One of the Best from Deep
Hannah Missry has amassed 257 three-pointers in her career in the Bronx and is fifth among active players in Division I for all-time downtown makes. She is four behind Kelsey Plum of Washington and 18 away from Boston College's Kelly Hughes, who the Rams recently held 0-of-2 from downtown. Junior guard Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State is tops with an absurd 289 three-pointers in just 79 games.  
 
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 52 starts. Fellow senior Hannah Missry recently hit the century mark on Sunday against the Tigers, while Danielle Padovano needs three appearances to reach the same milestone.
 
Missry Breaks Out
Senior guard Hannah Missry had struggled over her first three games this season before Albany, scoring 12 points on 4-of-17 from the field. Against the Great Danes, Missry bested her career-high for minutes played by four, with 47, and poured in 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 5-of-9 clip from beyond the arc. Missry also matched her career-high with three assists. After being held to just five points against Texas Tech, Missry exploded in the second quarter versus Grambling State, hitting 5-of-5 shots, 3-of-3 from downtown, for 13 of her 15 points in the win.  She was instrumental in the team's big win over Duquesne last Thursday, hitting 4-of-6 long-range attempts. She is averaging 2.0 long-range makes per contest, second-most in the A-10.
 
80 To Go
Missry is 80 three-pointers away from breaking Jessica Jenkins' all-time Atlantic 10 record of 338 threes set at St. Bonaventure from 2009-12. Missry recently moved into sole possession of ninth place, passing Amra Mehmedic (Saint Joseph's 2001-04) and Erin Shields (Saint Joseph's 2011-14), with one made three-pointer at Iona to total 257 for her career. Missry has averaged 79.7 three's over her three seasons in the Bronx and if she keeps up her current career pace, would finish within the top-three all-time.
 
Fordham's Charity
Fordham is 15th in the country thus far with a 78.4% clip from the free throw line. The Rams moved to the top of the Atlantic 10 leaderboard with a perfect 10-of-10 from the line on Sunday against the Eagles and hit 5-of-6 against Iona.
 
Fomina Helping Off the Bench
The Latvian junior guard has come off the bench this season in all nine contests and she has helped facilitate the offense while on the court. Fomina has tallied at least one assist in every single game thus far this season and tallied a season-high five dimes at Iona on Wednesday afternoon to go with two points, four boards, and two steals.
 
Career Numbers Watch
- Hannah Missry is 54 points away from 1,000
- Hannah Missry is two starts away from 100
- Danielle Burns is 11 rebounds away from 350
- G'mrice Davis is two offensive rebounds away from 125
- G'mrice Davis is 14 points away from 600
- G'mrice Davis is 58 rebounds away from 500
- Danielle Padovano is one appearances away from 100 games played
- Danielle Padovano is 55 minutes away from 1,500
- Danielle Padovano is four three-pointers away from 50
- Danielle Padovano is 12 assists away from 75
- Asnate Fomina is three assists away from 100
- Asnate Fomina is 41 minutes away from 1,000
- Lauren Holden is two three-pointers away from 50
- Lauren Holden is five assists away from 75
 
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.
 
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 five 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 hosts St. John's on Tuesday, December 13, at 7 p.m., the second game of the Rams' current six-game homestand.