Women's Basketball Hosts Richmond Wednesday at Noon

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (13-5, 4-0 A-10), riding a four-game winning streak and atop the Atlantic 10 standings, host Richmond on Wednesday afternoon in the Bronx for the team's annual Field Trip Day promotion, where over a thousand local schoolchildren descend upon the Rose Hill Gym. Tipoff is slated for noon.
 
Women's Basketball Promotions
There are several promotions going on associated with the Fordham women's basketball program.
 
Saturday, January 21, will feature several big promotions:
                - Bring Your Best Day: Bring your best grade to the game, show it at the ticket table, and receive FREE admission. This can be a test, a quiz, a homework assignment, anything from your current school year!
                - Super Hero Day: Dress up as your favorite super hero and cheer on the team! Special contests and prizes throughout the game plus the chance to win a FitBit during the second half!
                - Super Hero Giveaway
                - Run with the Rams: Stay in your seats at halftime watch the Somers 5^th grade girls basketball team play a mini-game as part of the Run with the Rams package.
                - Post-Game Vacation Shootout: Students who stay the duration of the game can participate in a half-court shot competition to win a hotel stay at any Marriott location (restrictions apply)!
 
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 George Mason (1/7)
Make it 37 straight wins in a row under head coach Stephanie Gaitley when the Rams hold opponents to 50 points or less after Fordham defeated George Mason, 53-49, in a tough road match-up on Saturday. The Rams used a second quarter burst to lead by five, 27-22, at halftime and withstood a late charge by the Patriots thanks to some clutch baskets, defense, and free throws down the stretch. After a defensive 9-8 slog through the third quarter, Mason started off the final frame hot, with a 7-2 run punctuated by a Sarah Kaminski three to cut the lead down to one. Those two points for Fordham were Anna Kelly's first points of the game after her 18-point outburst last week against Davidson and the freshman pushed the lead back to three with her second consecutive make, this time a tough left-handed layup. After two free throws from Danielle Burns to put Fordham up, 42-38, with five minutes to play, Alexis Grate would force two straight and-ones sandwiched around a Burns layup to tie the game at 44-44 with 4:10 to play. On their next offensive possession, the Patriots would find a timely offensive rebound and Sylvia Maxwell's jumper, her first basket of the game to that point, gave George Mason the lead for the first time since the first half. Gaitley called a timeout and Fordham would knot things up again with a G'mrice Davis jumper in the lane a minute later. Maxwell missed two crucial free throws with just under three minutes to play and it was all Fordham from then on. Kate Kreslina, who hadn't played much in the game, beat her defender straight to the rim for the go-ahead bucket and then stole the ball from Mason's leading scorer Kara Wright on the other end. Mason had some hope when Lauren Holden uncharacterically missed both of her freebies but the Rams' defense triumphed. Kreslina would hit 3-of-4 free throws before Wright's late three made it a two-point game but Hannah Missry iced the game by draining both of her free throws with five ticks left on the clock.
 
Series History vs. Richmond
The first time these two schools met, Stephanie Gaitley was prowling the sidelines. It was the start of her third year of her first head coaching gig and the CAA's Spiders were taking on the Rams, then a member of the Patriot League, in the opening round of the Georgia Tech invitational in Atlanta. It was the season opener for both schools. Gaitley and Richmond won, 61-55, over Fordham and Lou Kern. Since, the Spiders hold a 12-5 advantage since Richmond entered the A-10 beginning with the 2001-02 season, including 10 straight wins after the Rams won, 75-50, in 2002 in the Brnox. Since, Fordham has won four of six. Under Gaitley, the Rams are 4-3 against her old team. The two schools have met in the postseason just once, a 46-45 Fordham win on March 6, 2015 in the A-10 quarterfinals.
 
Scouting the Spiders
Richmond are 8-8 on the season but are coming off four wins in its last five games, including a 2-1 record in conference play the last two weeks. The Spiders began the season on a three-game skid, losing at home to Columbia and Virginia and at William & Mary before rebounding with four straight wins against Appalachian State, Florida A&M, at Florida Atlantic, and Liberty. The Spiders then dropped four straight to Cleveland State, Penn, at Hampton, and against East Carolina before boncing back with wins at Furman and against Morgan State before A-10 play began in earnest. Richmond is led by Janelle Hubbard's 12.8 ponts per game on 36.0% shooting. Hubbard has started 10 of the team's 16 gams. She has taken the third-most three-point shots but hits at just a 28.3% clip. Micaela Parson and Lauren Tolson are both in double figures, as well, with 11.3 and 10.2 points, respectively. Parson is second on the team with 5.4 rebounds per game, 51 assists, and 24 steals, and also shoots at a 41.5% clip. 
Tolson plays 29.5 minutes per contests and is the team's leading rebounder, with 7.0 boards per game, and has been nearly automatic from the charity stripe to this point of the season (93.0%, 40-of-43). Jaide Hinds-Clarke and Ragan Wiseman each have seven starts and chip in 7.5 and 6.3 points, respectively, per game. Hinds-Clarke leads the team with 45.0% shooting from the field and grabs 4.8 boards per game. Kylie Murphree is one of two Spiders to have started all 16 games and is the team's facilitator, handing out more assists (63) than she has taken shots (54). She leads the way with 30 steals and, surprisingly, has seven blocks to her credit. The Spiders are coached by Michael Shafer, the all-time winningest coach in Richmond's history. He has accumulated a 195-167 record across 12 seasons (Gaitley has the third-most wins, 116, the most wins she's ever had at a school).
 
Gaitley Five Wins Away
Stephanie Gaitley reached 100 wins with the Fordham program against Little Rock on November 19 and is currently at 111 for her Rams career. Gaitley needs just five more victories in the Bronx to surpass Kathy Mosolino ('74-'80) to become the all-time winningest head coach in Fordham history. She would also match the 116 wins she accrued while at Richmond, the second-most at any one school in her career.
 
Gaitley's 900th Game
The double overtime win over Albany on November 22 was Stephanie Gaitley's 900 career contest as a head coach. She has a 575-339 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 168 but needs 73 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.
 
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. Missry finished the game with 12 points. The Manasquan, N.J. native accomplished the feat in her 110th appearance (105th start).
 
Davis, Kreslina Sweep A-10 Awards
G'mrice Davis and Kate Kreslina each earned their season weekly A-10 honors of the year it was announced on Monday afternoon and for Davis it was two in a row. The junior forward has found her groove in recent weeks and notched her fourth and fifth straight double-double and averaging 20.5 points and 13.5 rebounds over two wins against Davidson and at George Mason. Davis tallied a career-high 27 points against the Wildcats last Wednesday in the Bronx on 11-of-15 shooting, a new career-high for makes. Kreslina, meanwhile, returned from a three-game absence due to illness, slotted right back into the starting lineup, and played 32 minutes against Davidson, scoring 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-2 from deep, to go with three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. At George Mason, Kreslina only played 21 minutes but hit the go-ahead bucket on a nice offensive move with just under three minutes to play and helped ice the game with 3-of-4 shooting from the line. The redshirt freshman averaged 11.5 points on 8-of-13 shooting (61.5%) and is in the top-15 in percentages from the field (45.0%) and behind the arc (38.1%).
 
A Look Inside the Four-Game Winning Streak
The Rams are on a four-game winning streak after a tough 58-54 loss to Buffalo in the opening round of the Fordham Holiday Classic, rattling off wins against UNC Asheville, at Rhode Island, Davidson, and at George Mason. Several members of the team during this period fell ill with a stomach virus, causing starters Kate Kreslina and Lauren Holden to miss two and one game, respectively, plus two games for key reserve Mary Goulding. The Rams are averaging 66.8 points per contest during the stretch and allowing 58.0, while outshooting opponents 43.8% to 40.7%. Consistent with the team's success in defending the perimeter, the four teams have combined to shoot just 20.0% from downtown (10-of-50). Individually, G'mrice Davis leads the way with 17.5 points per game on 60.8% shooting (31-of-51) and 13.0 rebounds per contest. She also has two blocks and five steals across 32.2 minutes. The other four starters are all in double figures as well with Danielle Burns' 12.0 points pacing the quartet, although she is shooting just 28.3% (15-of-53) from the field. Burns is grabbing 6.8 rebounds on average and has pulled down a team-best 10 on the offesnive glass. Hannah Missry has hit 44.4% of her three-point attempts (12-of-27) and Holden has connected on 48.0% of her attempts (12-of-25). Anna Kelly paces the bench with 6.8 points per game, thanks to her 18-point performance against Davidson, and Asnate Fomina is second to Burns with 12 assists although the junior has yet to tally a bucket in nine attempts.
 
Conference-Only
Fordham is 4-0 in conference play and currently atop the A-10 standings. The Rams have won two at home and two on the road. In those games, Fordham is outscoring opponents 69.0 to 60.2 (+8.8) and outshooting foes, 44.3% to 39.8%, including a 36.5% mark from downtown to opponents' 24.6%. G'nrice Davis leads the way with 17.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game and Danielle Burns is next with 14.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and a team-leading 14 assists. Hannah Missry has hit 48.1% of her A-10 three-point attempts (13-of-27) and averages an even 12.0 points per game, while Kate Kreslina has converted on 63.2% of her attempts (12-of-19) across three conference games. Lauren Holden has averaged a team-high 35.0 minutes over three games, as well.
 
The Bronx is Our House
The Rams are 10-2 this season in the Bronx, as opposed to a 1-2 record on the road and 1-1 at neutral sites. Fordham began this season with six straight home victories before falling to St. John's in mid-December.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Fordham has held its opponents to less than 50 points 35 times resulting in 35 victories. Overall under Gaitley, Fordham is 45-4 in such instances and have now won 37 straight with the most recent win at George Mason on Saturday, limiting the Patriots to a season-low 49 points. The Rams are 5-0 this season holding opponents under 50 points (and 6-0 holding them at 51 and under).
 
Defense Part Deux
Through 18 games this season, Fordham's defense has limited opposing scoring to just 57.7 points per contest, ranking 45th in the country. Part of that is due to the Rams' stingy perimeter D that has held opponents to just 26.2% (62-for-237) shooting from beyond the arc, currently situated at 19th nationally. Fordham allowed Buffalo to shoot a season-high 40% for an opponent from beyond the arc (4-of-10) but the Rams have responded by limiting UNC Asheville, Rhode Island, Davidson, and George Mason to just 10-of-50 shooting from downtown the last four contests (20.0%). Breaking it down further, in losses, the Rams have allowed opponents to shoot just 27.7% from behind the arc (13-for-47) but a whopping 44.5% (102-229) from everywhere else on the floor. In wins, those numbers drop to 25.8% (49-190) and 39.9% (301-755), respectively.
 
Three and D
Fordham is 52nd in the country in three-point attempts (346) and 51st in makes (115) while playing terrific defense along the perimeter that has led to teams shooting just 26.2% from deep (19th in the nation).
 
A-10 Ranks
The Rams are in the top five in several categories: second in scoring defense (57.7), free throw percentage (74.7%), rebounding defense (34.3), and three-point defense (26.2%), third in scoring margin (+3.6) and field goal percentage (40.6%), and fifth in three-point field goal percentage (33.2%), assist to turnover ratio (+0.9), and three-pointers per game (6.4). On the individual level, G'mrice Davis' 12.4 rebounds per game leads the league as does her 9.6 defensive boards. Davis' 50.5% percentage from the field ranks joint-third. Hannah Missry's 2.2 triples per contest ranks third-most in the conference, while Kate Kreslina's 38.1% mark from beyond the arc is ninth-highest in the league.
 
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 1/10/17): Davis' 223 rebounds are the second-most in the country, her 9.6 defensive rebounds per game are second-most and so is her 12.4 rebounding average. Additionally, her 10 double-doubles rank fourth in the country. Davis has tallied 13 or more rebounds in 10 contests and has rattled off five straight double-doubles.
 
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, 12.4, came in 1979-80 during her senior year and G'mrice Davis is currently matching that through 18 games. She's at the very least on pace to become just the second Ram to ever grab double figure rebounds per contest over a season. Samantha Clark averaged 9.6 last year, the fifth-highest clip ever in school history.
 
Actively One of the Best from Deep
Hannah Missry has amassed 278 three-pointers in her career in the Bronx and is fifth among active players in Division I for all-time downtown makes. Missry recently passed Suntana Granderson (Xavier '04-'07) and then Lisa Cermignaro (George Washington '94-'97) in A-10 history and now sits seventh. Missry needs five more makes to pass Amy Waugh (Xavier '00-'03) for sixth and 11 more to enter the top-five by supplanting Stefanie Collins (St. Bonaventure '02-'06). Missry is on pace to finish her career in the top three.
 
115 Straight For Burns
Senior Danielle Burns played in her 100th straight game in maroon and white against Little Rock. Burns hasn't missed a single contest since arriving in the Bronx, making 115 consecutive appearances and 63 starts, including 40 straight. Fellow seniors Hannah Missry and Danielle Padovano recently hit the century mark against Grambling State and Princeton, respectively.
 
Burns Flirts with Triple Double at URI
Danielle Burns stepped up at Rhode Island on Sunday in the absence of Kate Kreslina to illness and G'mrice Davis for much of the first half due to foul trouble. The senior guard piled up 18 points, 10 rebounds (five offensive), and a career-high seven assists across 37 minutes. The double-double is Burns' first of the season. Her final basket gave her 700 points in her career.
 
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 Iona, Davis played the entire 40 minutes for the first time in her career.
 
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 39-of-111 from deep (35.1%) and has flourished in recent games, hitting three or four triples in five straight contests before Saturday's 1-for-5 performance. Her 2.2 per-game average is third in the conference.
 
61 To Go
Missry is 61 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 just behind Jenkins somewhere in the top three.
 
100 Starts
Missry made the 100th start of her career in her 105th appearance against St. John's. She was held to just two points on 1-of-5 shooting, however, and without a three for just the 10th time in her Fordham career.
 
Davis Named A-10 Co-Player of the Week
G'mrice Davis rattled off three straight double-doubles over a four-day stretch to earn her first career weekly honor as this week's A-10 Co-Player of the Week alongside Saint Louis' Sadie Stipanovich. Davis averaged 14.0 points and 13.3 rebounds to go with 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks across just 29.7 minutes per contest. Against Buffalo in the Fordham Holiday Classic's opening contest, the junior tallied 13 points and 15 rebounds (five offensive) to go with two assists, two blocks, and four steals in 34 minutes, although the Rams would fall in the final minute. The forward struggled with some foul trouble the following day but still tallied 10 points and 14 boards. Similarly, the junior picked up her third foul in the second quarter of Sunday's win at Rhode Island, finishing the first half with six points and four rebounds, but busted out in the second half to help her team pick up its first road win of the year with a team-high 19 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 8-of-10 from the floor.
 
Davis' 27 Points, Fourth Straight Double-Double Help Down Davidson
With the team short-handed, the junior forward stepped up and played 39 minutes, tallying a career-high 27 points, on a career-best 11 field goals, and 13 rebounds against the Wildcats for her fourth straight double-double and ninth of the season.
 
Kelly Flourishes Off the Bench Against Wildcats
The freshman guard had scored seven points in three of her first four contests in the Bronx  but had struggled for playing time after that until Wednesday with the team without starting point guard Lauren Holden. Asnate Fomina got the start and matched her career-high of five assists in the first half, but Kelly solidifed the win for the Rams when she came off the bench towards the end of the third quarter, scoring 16 points over 13 minutes for a career-high 18 over a career-best 27 minutes. Kelly was also extremely efficient, with a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line, including two and-ones.
 
Fordham's Charity
Fordham is 43rd in the country thus far with a 74.7% clip from the free throw line. The Rams have spent a large portion of this season atop the A-10 leaderboards but recent struggles from the line have helped them slip to second. Before last Wednesday's season-high 23-of-29 performance from the stripe, over the team's previous five games, the Rams were hitting just 64.7% (44-of-68) of their freebies, including a 16-for-25 mark on Sunday at Rhode Island, the most attempts of the season but also the third-most makes.
 
Up Next
Fordham travel to Olean, N.Y. to take on St. Bonaventure on Sunday at 1 p.m.