Women's Basketball Travels to Saint Joseph's Wednesday

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (15-5, 6-0 A-10) are alone atop the Atlantic 10 after starting the conference season with six straight wins, matching its best-ever start in conference play, and will look to keep its momentum up at Saint Joseph's (6-11, 3-2 A-10) on Wednesday evening.
 
Women's Basketball Promotions
There are several promotions going on associated with the Fordham women's basketball program.
 
THIS 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 St. Bonaventure (1/17)
Fordham overcame a sluggish start and a late first half deficit to defeat St. Bonaventure, 60-44, the team's sixth straight win and third straight while holding an opponent below 50 points. The Bonnies led, 10-7, after one period of play with the Rams shooting 2-of-9 from the floor and committing 10 turnovers. The next quarter was a different story, however, as the visitors scored 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting with zero turnovers, while holding the Bonnies without a point over the first seven minutes. Fordham held a 26-22 lead at halftime and would never trail again. The hosts would get within two once and three twice in the third quarter but Fordham blew the game up to a double-digit lead late in the frame and wouldn't look back. Sophomore Lauren Holden led the squad with 17 points, one off her career-high, but took and made a career-high 7-of-17 shots. G'mrice Davis and Danielle Burns each chipped in 16 points with seven and nine rebounds, respectively. Davis failed to corral double-digit boards and her streak of consecutive double-doubles ends at six. Fordham shot 42.0% from the floor (21-of-50) and held the Bonnies to 37.5% (18-of-48) and just 11.1 (1-of-9) from downtown.
 
Series History vs. Saint Joseph's
The all-time series between Saint Joseph's and Fordham has been nearly one-sided until recent years; the Hawks hold a 36-8 all-time advantage since 1972. The Hawks won 19 of the series' first 20 meetings, with the lone Fordham win coming on February 27, 1996, the second of two contests between the two schools in the same week in the first year that Fordhamw as a member of the A-10. The Rams have won five of the last nine meetings since Stephanie Gaitley took over. Last year the results were split with each school winning at home. The Rams are just 4-20 in Philadelphia.
 
Scouting the Hawks
Saint Joseph's is led by head coach and alumnus Cindy Griffin in her 16^th season at the helm. Griffin has compiled a 327-242 record since she took the job and is one of eight coaches to ever lead her alma mater to the NCAA Tournament as a player and coach. Griffin and the Hawks began conference play with two road loasses, at Richmond and George Washington, before rattling off three straight wins, two coming at home, first against Massachusetts and VCU and this past Saturday at La Salle. During the three-game streak, the Hawks outscored their opponents, 220-163. Saint Joseph has four players averaging 10 or more points per game; Preseason Third Team All-Conference selection Chelsea Woods leads with 13.6 and is the team's leader in assists (44) and steals (25) and is second in the squad with 6.9 rebounds per game, and has been recently coming off the bench. Adashia Franklyn is the team's leading rebounder, grabbing 7.9 boards per contest, with 60 of 135 coming on the offensive glass, while also chipping in 12.1 points and leading the team with 23 blocks. Alyssa Monaghan is the long player playing over 30 minutes a game (34.1) and is averaging 11.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Monaghan is the team's primary three-point shooter and has hit at a 35.6% clip. Sarah Veilleux hits at a 42.3% rate from deep but has only taken 52 shots. Veilleux is averaging 10.1 points and 4.7 boards per game. Griffin has an eight-player rotation with just two players making more than 13 starts: Franklyn and Monaghan. Mackenzie Rule and Amanda Fioravanti have made several starts recently after starting the year on the bench.

Gaitley Three Wins Away
Stephanie Gaitley reached 100 wins with the Fordham program against Little Rock on November 19 and is currently at 113 for her Rams career. Gaitley needs just three 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 577-339 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 170 but needs 71 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 three points on Sunday following a season-high 19-point performance last week, the senior has broken a tie with Stacey Paukovitz '93 and has the 17th-most points in program history (1,048). Next up is former teammate Erin Rooney '14 with 1,062.
 
A Look Inside the Six-Game Winning Streak
The Rams are on a six-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, Richmond, and at St. Bonaventure. 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 65.7 points per contest during the stretch and allowing just 52.8, while outshooting opponents 43.8% to 39.5%. Consistent with the team's success in defending the perimeter, the six schools have combined to shoot just 21.5% from downtown (14-of-65). Individually, G'mrice Davis leads the way with 16.2 points per game on 60.9% shooting (42-of-69) and 12.2 rebounds per contest. She also has two blocks and eight steals across 32.0 minutes. Hannah Missry is averaging 11.5 points per game on 42.3% shooting and 43.9% shooting from deep across 34.0 minutes, while Danielle Burns' 12.7 points and 7.3 rebounds go with a team-leading 19 assists across a team-high 35.2 minutes. Anna Kelly paces the bench with 6.3 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 6-0 in conference play and currently alone atop the A-10 standings. The Rams have won three at home and three on the road to match the program's best-ever start to conference play. In those games, Fordham is outscoring opponents 67.2 to 54.3 (+12.8) and outshooting foes, 44.2% to 38.9%, including a 35.8% mark from downtown to opponents' 25.0%. G'nrice Davis leads the way with 16.2 points and 11.5 rebounds per game and has a double-double in all but two games - against Duquesne where she missed it by one point (9 pts, 10 reb) and at St. Bonaventure where she finished with just seven rebounds. The junior is also converted her attempts at a 59.1% clip (39-of-66). Danielle Burns has been excellent against conference foes, with 14.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and a team-leading 20 assists. Hannah Missry has hit 46.3% of her A-10 three-point attempts (19-of-41) and averages 11.7 points per game, while Kate Kreslina has converted on 46.7% of her attempts (14-of-30) across five games.
 
The Bronx is Our House
The Rams are 11-2 this season in the Bronx, as opposed to a 3-2 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 37 times resulting in 37 victories. Overall under Gaitley, Fordham is 47-4 in such instances and have now won 39 straight with the most recent win at St. Boanaventure, limiting the Spiders to 44 points. This was the third straight game in which Fordham has held an opponent under 50 points. The Rams are 7-0 this season holding opponents under 50 points (and 8-0 holding them at 51 and under).
 
Defense Part Deux
Through 20 games this season, Fordham's defense has limited opposing scoring to just 56.2 points per contest, ranking 29th in the country. Part of that is due to the Rams' stingy perimeter D that has held opponents to just 26.2% (66-for-252) shooting from beyond the arc, currently situated at 12th nationally. The Rams limited UNC Asheville, Rhode Island, Davidson, George Mason, Richmond, and St. Bonaventure to just 14-of-65 shooting from downtown the last six contests (21.5%). 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 25.9% (53-205) and 39.5% (335-848), respectively.
 
Three and D
Fordham is 44th in the country in three-point attempts (392) and 49th in makes (131) while playing terrific defense along the perimeter that has led to teams shooting just 26.2% from deep (12th in the nation).
 
A-10 Ranks
The Rams are back atop the league in scoring defense (56.2 pts/game), after holding Richmond, George Mason, and St. Bonaventure all under 50 points the last three games, and are also first in rebounding defense, holding opponents to just 33.3 boards per game, and free throw percentage (75.2%) after hitting 10-of-11 in Olean on Sunday. Fordham is also second in three-point defense (26.2%), third in scoring margin (+5.3) and field goal percentage (40.9%), and fourth in assist/turnover ratio (0.9) and three-pointers per game (6.5). On the individual level, G'mrice Davis' 12.2 rebounds per game leads the league as does her 9.5 defensive boards. Davis' 51.3% percentage from the field ranks fourth. 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 1/17/17): Davis' 244 rebounds, 9.5 defensive rebounds per game, and 12.2 rebounding average are all second in the country. Additionally, her 11 double-doubles rank sixth in the country. Davis has tallied 13 or more rebounds in 11 contests and had rattled off six straight double-doubles before grabbing just seven on Sunday.
 
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 trails that by .2 through 20 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 284 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 all-time in league history. Missry needs just five 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.
 
Davis, Kreslina Sweep A-10 Awards
G'mrice Davis and Kate Kreslina each earned their second weekly A-10 honors of the year last 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 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%).
 
117 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 117 consecutive appearances and 65 starts, including 42 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 45-of-125 from deep (36.0%) and has flourished in recent games, hitting between three and five triples in five of the last seven contests. Her 2.3 per-game average is second in the conference.
 
55 To Go
Missry is 55 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 38th in the country thus far with a 75.2% clip from the free throw line. The Rams have spent a large portion of this season atop the A-10 leaderboards before some struggles from the line helped them slip to second. Before a season-high 23-of-29 performance from the stripe against Davidson (1/4), 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 at Rhode Island, the most attempts of the season but also the third-most makes. The 10-of-11 shooting from the line in Olean on Sunday helped the Rams again reach the summit in the league.
 
Consistent Holden
Before missing the Davidson with an illness, Holden had made 31 consecutive starts at point guard, including the 16 previous games this season. She returned at George Mason and slotted right back into the starting lineup, playing a team-high 36 minutes. The sophomore's year started off hot, leading the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage and being ranked in the top-3 in percentage from beyond the arc across the opening six games of the year. After the blistering start, the sophomore guard went through a small slump over two games in early December in which she shot 1-of-16 from the field and 0-of-12 from long range, however her assists rose. Aside from a basket-less game against Manhattan, Holden is turning it up again, with eight double-digit games in her last 11. Holden is averaging an even 9.0 points per game on the year after her recent game-high 17 points at St. Bonaventure, taking and hitting the most shots of her career (7-of-17) and is third on the team with 12 double-digit performances.
 
Fomina Facilitating Off the Bench
Fomina is second in the squad with 44 assists despite averaging just 15.1 minutes off the bench. Her lone start came against Davidson, playing 22 minutes and assisting on five buckets. Fomina began the year with at least one assist in each of the first 10 games, including five at Iona. After no dimes against St. John's, Fomina played just seven minutes against George Mason but before that had flourished over her previous six and had tallied between three and five assists in every game. Over those five games, she totaled 22 assists. Against Richmond, Fomina tallied three points, two rebounds, and three assists.
 
Kreslina Named A-10 Rookie of the Week
Redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on December 12, the first honor of her young career. The Latvian guard averaged 12.5 points against Iona and Princetn, including a career-high 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the close win over the Tigers on Saturday. The freshman hit several big shots in the fourth quarter, from the field and the line.
 
Career Numbers Watch
- Danielle Burns is four points away from 750
- Danielle Burns is 18 field goals away from 300
- Danielle Burns is three appearances away from 120
- G'mrice Davis is 45 points away from 800
- G'mrice Davis is 22 rebounds away from 600
- G'mrice Davis is 23 steals away from 100
- G'mrice Davis is one appearance away from 80
- G'mrice Davis is four field goals away from 300
- G'mrice Davis is 124 minutes away from 2,000
- Asnate Fomina is 22 assists away from 150
- Lauren Holden is 35 points away from 400
- Lauren Holden is two rebounds away from 100
- Lauren Holden is 13 assists away from 100
- Hannah Missry is 52 points away from 1,100
- Hannah Missry is three steals away from 50
- Hannah Missry is 12 rebounds away from 350
- Hannah Missry is 16 threes away from 300
- Hannah Missry is 86 minutes away from 3,500
- Hannah Missry is one start away from 110
 
Up Next
Fordham returns home to host VCU on Saturday, January 21, with a 2 p.m. tip.