Women's Basketball Looks to Rebound at Saint Louis Saturday

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (15-7, 6-2 A-10) has dropped two straight since matching the program's best start to conference play and will now travel to two of its toughest opponents in the league schedule over the next five days. First up is 2016 A-10 semifinalist Saint Louis (16-5, 6-2 A-10) for a Saturday evening clash at Chaifetz Arena. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m.
 
Women's Basketball Promotions
There are several promotions going on associated with the Fordham women's basketball program.
 
Saturday, February 4 is the team's annual Alumni Day! For alums interested in participating in the game and/or the day's events, please click here
 
Saturday, February 11 is the team's annual Play4Kay Day, where the Rams, as well as all fans in attendance, are encourage to wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness.
 
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. VCU
Fordham had a 16-point lead late in the first half after starting the contest on a tear but slowly the visiting Rams utilized a 16-0 run over two halves to erase the deficit and build up a lead of their own, up to six, 40-34, to cap a 24-2 run. In the third quarter alone, VCU shot 75% from the field (9-of-12). Fordham rallied behind G'mrice Davis and Anna Kelly, with the latter taking a late lead with under a minute to play to send the hme crowd into a frenzy. However, Keira Robinson's jumper was yet another in a long line for mid-range makes for VCU and the hosts couldn't capitalize on late poor free throwing shooting from their opponents. Senior Hannah Missry was honored with a pregame ceremony for scoring her 1,000th career point back on New Years Day at Rhode Island.
 
Series History vs. Saint Louis
Saint Louis holds a slim 7-6 all-time series advantage since 2006, when the Rams defeated the Billikens in their first year in the Atlantic 10, 70-58, in the Bronx. Since, the two schools have alternated five-game winning stretches, first with Saint Louis taking five straight from 2007 to 2011 and then Fordham taking five in a row between 2012 to 2014. The Billikens have won the past two contests, one in each of the past two seasons, including a 51-49 decision in the Bronx last February 21.
 
Scouting the Billikens
Saint Louis poses one of the toughest tests of the A-10 season for the Rams. Despite dropping two of their last four contests, the Billikens boast a fearsome balanced and efficient offense and until recently had received votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and began the season with votes in both that and the Associated Press poll. The Billikens are also ranked eighth by ESPN in their Mid-Major poll, as well. Saint Louis began its season with five straight wins, three on the road, and also enjoyed a seven-game winning stretch at the tail-end of nonconference play and into the first two weeks of league play. The Billikens have wins at Davidson, VCU, and Rhode Island, but losses recently at home to Dayton and at Duquesne, before bouncing back with a win over George Washington on Thursday night. Saint Louis did also lose by 13 at Little Rock, a team that Fordham dispatched in mid-November by 22. Saint Louis is averaging a conference-best 74.4 points per contest (by nearly eight points) and are only allowing 60.0 to opponents, with nearly exact numbers in seven league contests. A big reason for their success is their efficiency, shooting a blistering 44.2% from the field and a solid 34.2% from downtown. The next two teams in overall percentage, Saint Joseph's and Fordham, come in at 40.3% and 40.1%, respectively. The Billikens are also holding opponents to just 36.1% shooting from the floor and are one of the best rebounding teams in the conference, grabbing 41.8 boards per game and allowing just 35.3 to rivals, right behind Fordham. They don't put up extravagent defensive numbers but offensively, the ball movements is terrific, with an average of 18.5 assists per game. All of the above are top-50 statistics in the country.
 
Senior center Sadie Stipanovich and junior playmaker Jackie Kemph are the stars of the Saint Louis squad. Stipanovich paces the team with 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, with nearly a third of her boards coming on the offensive glass. She is second in the league with a 54.1% shooting percentage. All this despite playing just 24.4 minutes per contest. Kemph averages 33.5 minutes by comparison and averages 13.7 points per game. Her 156 assists and 7.8 dimes per game easily lead the A-10. Jordyn Frantz and Olivia Jakubicek have been excellent, as well, with the former pouring in 12.1 points pe game and the latter averaging 8.3 points and 7.6 rebounds. Both share the team lead with 27 steals and shoot the ball well, too, at 41.6% and 48.5%, respectively. Jenny Vliet rounds out the tried-and-true starting lineup, tallying 8.1 points and 4.8 boards, plus a team-high 14 blocks. Fifth-year head coach Lisa Stone, like Gaitley one of the winningest active head coaches in the country, doesn't often deliniate from her starting five.
 
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 577-341 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). Since, the senior guard has moved past Carol Elser '85 and Stacey Paukovitz '93 and is now in a tie for 16th all-time with former teammate Erin Rooney '14 at 1,062 points.
 
Conference-Only
Fordham is 6-2 in conference play after dropping its past two contests, at Saint Joseph's and at home to VCU, both by three points. Before that, the Rams had won three on the road and three at home to begin conference play 6-0. In conference play thus far, Fordham is outscoring opponents 63.1 to 54.2 (+8.9) and outshooting foes, 41.1% to 39.1%, including a 34.9% mark from downtown to opponents' 26.3% clip. G'mrice Davis leads the way with 16.4 points and 12.6 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 54.7% clip. Danielle Burns has been solid against conference foes, with 12.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and a team-leading 24 assists. Hannah Missry has hit 44.2% of her A-10 three-point attempts (23-of-52) and averages 10.5 points per game. Over the two losses, the Rams are struggling from the field, shootng 32.1% oevrall (35-of-109) and 27.3% from deep (9-of-33), but not from the line, where they are hitting 76.7% of their freebies, while opponents hit just 50% (18-of-36) from the line. Davis has led the way with 17.0 points and 16.0 rebounds.
 
The Bronx is Our House
The Rams are 11-3 this season in the Bronx, as opposed to a 3-3 record on the road and 1-1 at neutral sites. Fordham began this season with six straight home victories and had won three straight before the three-point loss to VCU.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
Last Wednesday's game at Saint Joseph's ended a 38-game winning streak dating back to the end of the 2012-13 season in which Fordham won when holding opponents below 50 points. Coincidentally, the last time the Rams lost in such a fashion was to the Hawks in the 2013 A-10 Championship game at the Barclays Center, 47-46. Fordham was 7-0 this season in such instances this season and had won three in a row holding conference opponents under 50. Overall, under Gaitley, the Rams are 47-5 in this situations.
 
Defense Part Deux
Through 22 games this season, Fordham's defense has limited opposing scoring to just 56.0 points per contest, ranking 24th in the country. Part of that is due to the Rams' stingy perimeter D that has held opponents to just 26.6% (72-for-271) shooting from beyond the arc, currently situated at 12th nationally. The Rams limited UNC Asheville, Rhode Island, Davidson, George Mason, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, and Saint Joseph's to just 16-of-76 shooting from downtown the last seven contests (21.1%) before VCU hit 4-of-8. Breaking it down further this year, overall,, in losses, the Rams have allowed opponents to shoot just 28.8% from behind the arc (19-66) but 41.1% (157-382) from everywhere else on the floor. In wins, the numbers drop to 25.9% (53-205) and 39.5% (335-848), respectively.
 
Three and D
Fordham is 62nd in the country in three-point attempts (425) and 64th in makes (140) while playing terrific defense along the perimeter that has led to teams shooting just 26.6% from deep (12th in the nation).
 
A-10 Ranks
The Rams are back atop the league in scoring defense (56.0 pts/game) and are also first in rebounding defense, holding opponents to just 33.5 boards per game, and free throw percentage (75.3%). Fordham is also second in three-point defense (26.6%), third in scoring margin (+4.5) and field goal percentage (40.1%), and fifth in assist/turnover ratio (0.8) and three-pointers per game (6.4). On the individual level, G'mrice Davis' 12.5 rebounds per game leads the league as does her 9.7 defensive boards. Davis' 50.6% percentage from the field ranks joint-fifth. Hannah Missry's 2.2 triples per contest ranks third-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 1/26/17): Davis' 276 rebounds, 9.7 defensive rebounds per game and 12.5 rebounding average are all second in the nation. Additionally, her 13 double-doubles rank sixth in the country. Davis has tallied 13 or more rebounds in 13 contests and has notched double-doubles in eight of her last 10 contests. After grabbing just seven in Olean nearly two weeks ago, Davis began a new streak with 22 points and 19 rebounds last Wednesday night in her hometown.
 
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 22 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. Davis' 276 rebounds currently rank seventh-most in a single season and her 7.5 career average is tied with Malyssa Thorngren '99 and Sharon Nast '86 for fourth-highest in program history.
 
Actively One of the Best from Deep
Hannah Missry has amassed 288 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 join Stefanie Collins (St. Bonaventure '02-'06) for fifth all-time in league history. Missry needs just four more makes to enter the top-fthree by leapfrogging Cathy Jones (George Washington '00-'04) and Suzie Dailer (St. Bonaventure '92-'95).
 
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%).
 
119 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 119 consecutive appearances and 67 starts, including 44 straight.  The senior is currently fifth all-time in games played, recently passing Theresa Hrubash '82 and Kristina Bell '11, and needs eight more to tie Fordham legend Anne Gregory '80 and former teammate Abigail Corning '14. Fellow seniors Hannah Missry and Danielle Padovano recently hit the century mark against Grambling State and Princeton, respectively.
 
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 and matched that feat over her last two games, at Saint Joseph's and at home against VCU.
 
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 49-of-136 from deep (36.0%) and has flourished in recent games, hitting between two and five triples in seven of the last nine contests. Her 2.2 per-game average is third in the conference.
 
51 To Go
Missry is 51 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.
 
A Look Inside the Six-Game Winning Streak
The Rams were on a six-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, 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 were 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 combined to shoot just 21.5% from downtown (14-of-65). Individually, G'mrice Davis led the way with 16.2 points per game on 60.9% shooting (42-of-69) and 12.2 rebounds per contest. She also had two blocks and eight steals across 32.0 minutes. Hannah Missry averaged 11.5 points per game on 42.3% shooting and 43.9% shooting from deep across 34.0 minutes, while Danielle Burns' notched 12.7 points and 7.3 rebounds go with a team-leading 19 assists across a team-high 35.2 minutes. Anna Kelly paced the bench with 6.3 points per game, thanks to her 18-point performance against Davidson, and Asnate Fomina was second to Burns with 15 assists.
 
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 36th in the country thus far with a 75.3% 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 helped the Rams again reach the summit in the league. Fordham hit 11-of-16 at Saint Joseph's but rebounded with 12-of-14 against VCU. The current 75.3% mark would be the third-best in program history.
 
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.
 
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 four remaining home Atlantic 10 contests, including one nationally televised home game – the home season finale against Dayton on February 19.
 
You can purchase single game tickets for all home contests here.
 
Up Next
Fordham travel to our nation's capital for a nationally televised midweek match-up with George Washington next Wednesday afternoon. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.