Women's Basketball Travels to St. Bonaventure Sunday

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (14-5, 5-0 A-10) is riding a five-game winning streak and are looking to match the program's best-ever start to conference play, 6-0 in 2014, when the Rams visit St. Bonaventure (6-11, 1-4 A-10) on Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. tip.  
 
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 vs. Richmond (1/11)
Fordham's offense and defense were totally in sync on Wednesday afternoon and it resulted in the largest win of the season for the Rams, a 26-point win over the Spiders, 67-41, to remain atop the Atlantic 10 standings. Fordham shot 45.6% from the field and allowed Richmond to shoot just 35.6% from the floor while committing 13 turnovers. Senior guard Hannah Missry tied a season-high with five triples on the afternoon in front of 2,000 local schoolchildren and fans during the team's annual Field Trip Day and set a new season-high with 19 points to lead the Rams and move into sixth place in A-10 history, with 283 for her career. G'mrice Davis made it six straight games with a double-double and 11th overall with 12 points and 14 rebounds to go with three assists and three steals. Danielle Burns also notched 12 points, on 5-of-10 shooting, with eight rebounds, four coming on the offensive glass.
 
Series History vs. St. Bonaventure
The Bonnies hold a 22-14 all-time series advantage since 1996, the first year that Fordham participated in the Atlantic 10. The Rams took that first contest, in Olean, 86-65 a week over 21 years ago. Between 1999 and 2012, St. Bonaventure reigned with 16 of 21 wins, including two stretches of seven consecutive victories. Since the lone meeting in 2012, when the Bonnies were ranked 19th in the country Fordham has won five of the last seven in the series, including the most recent, a 77-68 win in the Bronx last February 24. A month earlier, St. Bonaventure won in Olean, 55-41. Under Gaitley, Fordham is 5-3 against the Bonnies. In Olean, the Rams are just 3-13 all-time. The most recent meeting in the postseason was a huge 73-32 Fordham victory in the A-10 Championship semifinals in 2014 en route to the Rams' first league title.
 
Scouting the Bonnies
The Bonnies are led by first-year head coach Jesse Fleming, who has deep ties to the program. Fleming spent 11 years under long time coach Jim Crowley, working his way up from student manager to associate head coach in 2010-11, before moving to Bowling Green with the same title. Fleming returns to a team that finished last season at 24-8 overall and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament as an at-large bid. The Bonnies defeated Oklahoma State in Corvallis, Oregon in the first round, 65-54, before falling to #6 Oregon State in the following round. Fleming is, however, without starters Katie Healy, Nyla Rueter, Miranda Drummond, and Emily Michael, but does return Mariah Ruff, Gabby Richmond, and Matea Britvar, the fourth through sixth highest scorers on the team. Healy was the biggest loss, a 2015-16 First Team All-Conference selection, averaging 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game with terrific all-around stats, as well. The Bonnies this year started conference play off with a win over Rhode Island at home but have fallen in four straight since at George Mason and Saint Louis and at home to Dayton and Richmond.
 
Ruff is the team's leading scorer and assister, averaging 13.8 points and 4.1 assists per game, plus 4.2 rebounds per contest, and also leads the team with 20 blocks to go with 15 steals, second-most in the squad. Richmond, returning for a fifth year in Olean, averages 11.6 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game. Britvar averages 7.9 points and 6.8 rebounds plus 15 steals and 13 blocks. Jalisha Terry and Sarah Hart are the other primary starters. Fleming typically sticks to his starting five, who play heavy minutes, and McKenna Maycock off the bench. The Bonnies are averaging just 54.4 points per contest and are allowing 60.1 to opponents. They struggle from three-point range (25.7%) and turn the ball over 16.4 times per game. 
 
Gaitley Four Wins Away
Stephanie Gaitley reached 100 wins with the Fordham program against Little Rock on November 19 and is currently at 112 for her Rams career. Gaitley needs just four 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 576-339 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 169 but needs 72 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. The Manasquan, N.J. native accomplished the feat in her 110th appearance (105th start). With Missry's 19 points on Wednesday, the senior moves up to a tie for 17th place in program history, tied with Stacey Paukovitz '93 with 1,045 points. Next up is former teammate Erin Rooney with 1,062.
 
Davis, Kreslina Sweep A-10 Awards
G'mrice Davis and Kate Kreslina each earned their second weekly A-10 honors of the year on Monday afternoon. This was Davis' second consecutive award and she has found her groove in recent weeks. The previous week, the junior notched her fourth and fifth straight double-doubles and averaged 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 Five-Game Winning Streak
The Rams are on a five-game winning streak since 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, at George Mason, and against Richmond. 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 54.6, while outshooting opponents 44.2% to 39.9%. Consistent with the team's success in defending the perimeter, the five teams have combined to shoot just 23.2% from downtown (13-of-56). Individually, G'mrice Davis leads the way with 16.4 points per game on 59.7% shooting (37-of-62) and 13.2 rebounds per contest. She also has two blocks and eight steals across 32.8 minutes. Hannah Missry's recent 19-point game has pushed her five-game average up to 13.2 points on 44.7% shooting from deep across 33.4 minutes, while Danielle Burns' 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds go with a team-leading 17 assists. 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 15 assists although the junior is shooting 1-of-12 from the field.
 
Conference-Only
Fordham is 5-0 in conference play and currently atop the A-10 standings. The Rams have won three at home and two on the road. In those games, Fordham is outscoring opponents 68.6 to 56.4 (+12.2) and outshooting foes, 44.6% to 39.2%, including a 36.5% mark from downtown to opponents' 26.9%. G'nrice Davis leads the way with 16.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game and has a double-double in all but one game - against Duquesne where she missed it by one point (9 pts, 10 reb). Danielle Burns has been excellent against conference foes, with 14.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and a team-leading 18 assists. Hannah Missry has hit 47.4% of her A-10 three-point attempts (18-of-38) and averages 13.4 points per game, while Kate Kreslina has converted on 52.0% of her attempts (13-of-25) across four games.
 
The Bronx is Our House
The Rams are 11-2 this season in the Bronx, as opposed to a 2-2 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 and have now won three straight in the Bronx.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Fordham has held its opponents to less than 50 points 36 times resulting in 36 victories. Overall under Gaitley, Fordham is 46-4 in such instances and have now won 38 straight with the most recent win against Richmon, limiting the Spiders to a season-low 41 points. The previous game, Fordham held George Mason to a season-low 49 points. The Rams are 6-0 this season holding opponents under 50 points (and 7-0 holding them at 51 and under).
 
Defense Part Deux
Through 19 games this season, Fordham's defense has limited opposing scoring to just 56.8 points per contest, ranking 30th in the country. Part of that is due to the Rams' stingy perimeter D that has held opponents to just 26.7% (65-for-243) shooting from beyond the arc, currently situated at 26th nationally. The Rams have responded by limiting UNC Asheville, Rhode Island, Davidson, George Mason, and Richmond to just 13-of-56 shooting from downtown the last five contests (23.2%). 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 26.5% (52-196) and 39.6% (317-800), respectively.
 
Three and D
Fordham is 51st in the country in three-point attempts (368) and 46th in makes (123) while playing terrific defense along the perimeter that has led to teams shooting just 26.7% from deep (26th in the nation).
 
A-10 Ranks
The Rams are back atop the league in scoring defense (56.8 pts/game), after holding Richmond to a season-low 41 points a game after holding George Mason to a season-low 49 points, and are now first in rebounding defense, holding opponents to just 33.8 boards per game. Fordham is also second in free throw percentage (74.5%) and three-point defense (26.7%), third in scoring margin (+4.7), fourth in assist/turnover ratio (0.9), and fifth in three-pointers per game (6.5). On the individual level, G'mrice Davis' 12.5 rebounds per game leads the league as does her 9.6 defensive boards. Davis' 50.7% percentage from the field ranks fifth. Hannah Missry's 2.3 triples per contest ranks second-most in the conference.
 
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 1/14/17): Davis' 237 rebounds, 9.6 defensive rebounds per game, and 12.4 rebounding average are all second in the country. Additionally, her 11 double-doubles rank fourth in the country. Davis has tallied 13 or more rebounds in 11 contests and has rattled off six 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 currently bests that by .1 through 19 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 283 three-pointers in her career in the Bronx and is fifth among active players in Division I for all-time downtown makes. Missry has recently passed Suntana Granderson (Xavier '04-'07), Lisa Cermignaro (George Washington '94-'97), and now Amy Waugh (Xavier '00-'03) in A-10 history to sit sixth. Missry needs six more makes 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.
 
116 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 116 consecutive appearances and 64 starts, including 41 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 44-of-122 from deep (36.1%) and has flourished in recent games, hitting between three and five triples in five of the last six contests. Her 2.3 per-game average is third in the conference.
 
56 To Go
Missry is 56 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 46th in the country thus far with a 74.5% 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.
 
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.
 
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 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 remains on the road for a Wednesday night clash at Saint Joseph's at 7 p.m.