Women's Basketball Hosts Davidson Wednesday

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (11-5, 1-0 A-10) looks start Atlantic 10 play off with three consecutive wins when its hosts Davidson (2-11, 0-1 A-10) on Wednesday night in the Rose Hill Gym.
 
Women's Basketball Promotions
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 Rhode Island (1/1/17)
Fordham earned its aforementioned road victory by leading for the entire second half and withstanding a late barrage from Charise Wilson, seeing out the game with several late free throws. The Rams had built up a 10-point lead early in the second half and their lead didn't dip below six until the final minutes. Junior forward G'mrice Davis took home A-10 Co-Player of the Week honors with her third straight double-double, and eighth on the year, with a team-high 19 points, on 8-of-10 shooting, and 11 rebounds in 29 minutes after sitting for much of the second quarter with three fouls. Senior guard Danielle Burns flirted with a triple double and compiled her first double-double of the campaign with 18 points, 10 rebounds, plus a career-high seven assists.
 
Fellow senior Hannah Missry hit the 1,000-point mark of her career with three triples in the first quarter, fittingly the all-time long-range gunner needing just nine points before the start of the game and finding the bottom of the net on the first three attempts from deep of the game. Lauren Holden finished with 10 points, the team-leading 11th time she has scored in double figures this year, and redshirt junior Tiffany Suarez enjoyed her finest game in a Rams uniform, scoring 10 points off the bench on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor and 4-of-5 from the line, adding a pair of rebounds and assists in a season-high 16 minutes. The performance marked the second straight game a bench player has scored in double digits, the first two such instances this season. Rhode Island's Charise Wilson has been a force this year and Sunday was no different, taking 28 shots and hitting 14 of them for 33 points to go with five rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes.
 
Series History vs. Davidson
The Wildcats joined the Atlantic 10 for the 2014-15 season and the adolescent all-time series stands at just four games, with Fordham holding a 3-1 record. The Rams took both contests in 2015, the first on the road by 21 points and the second in the Bronx by eight, 54-46. Last year, the teams split the two meetings, with each team winning at home. Fordham kicked off its A-10 schedule with a 51-40 home victory over the Wildcats, holding them to just 25.9% shooting from the field and leading from midway through the first quarter on. G'mrice Davis led the way with 21 points and 10 rebounds, the points being a career-high until earlier this season. On the flip side, Davidson crushed the Rams in North Carolina, 69-51, on the back of two 19-point performances from Mackenzie Latt and the since-departed Dakota Dukes.
 
Scouting the Wildcats
Davidson, who finished last season in 13th place in the A-10 and fell in round one of the A-10 Championship, has struggled to replace two of its top players from a year ago - Dakota Dukes and Hannah Early - and are currently giving up the most points per game  to opponents on the year - 70.7. The Wildcats aren't scoring what their opponents put up either, currently averaging just 57.6 points per contest, third-fewest in the league. Davidson has struggled from the field and at the line, ranking second and third-worst in the two respective categories in the A-10, while allowing a league-high 41.6% of opponent shots to fall. However, the team has been successfully defensively by racking up the blocks and steals, and even leading the conference in the latter category, with 8.6 per game, alongside Rhode Island, who they share several traits with this season. Mackenzie Latt has found success in her third year, averaging a team-high 15.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, plus team-leading totals of 15 blocks and 19 steals. Justine Lyon and Kianna Speight both average over 10 points per game but it gets tricky after that. Head coach Michele Savage has tinkered with her team as nine players have garnered at least three starts.
 
Gaitley Seven Wins Away
Stephanie Gaitley reached 100 wins with the Fordham program against Little Rock on November 19 and is currently at 109 for her Rams career. Gaitley needs just seven more victories in the Bronx to surpass Kathy Mosolino ('74-'80) to become the all-time winningest head coach in Fordham history.
 
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 573-339 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 166 but needs 75 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 on Sunday 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 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.
 
The Bronx is Our House
Despite the 58-54 loss to Buffalo last Thursday, the Rams are 9-2 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 34 times resulting in 34 victories. Overall under Gaitley, Fordham is 44-4 in such instances and have now won 36 straight with the most recent win over UNC Asheville on Friday afternoon, limiting the Bulldogs to a season-low 42 points. The Rams are 4-0 this season holding opponents under 50 points (and 5-0 holding them at 51 and under).
 
Defense Part Deux
Through 16 games this season, Fordham's defense has limited opposing scoring to just 57.4 points per contest, ranking 47th in the country. Part of that is due to the Rams' stingy perimeter D that has held opponents to just 26.2% (55-for-210) shooting from beyond the arc, currently situated at 23rd 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 and Rhode Island to just 3-of-23 shooting from downtown the last two contests (13.1%). 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% (42-163) and 39.6% (253-639), respectively.
 
Three and D
The Rams are 11-5 so far a big reason for their success has been the team's success around the perimeter on both sides of the ball. Fordham is 42nd in the country in three-point attempts (316) and 40th in makes (106) while playing terrific defense along the perimeter that has led to teams shooting just 26.2% from deep.
 
Leading the A-10
The Rams currently lead the conference in one category, scoring defense (57.4), but are in the top three in several others: Fordham is second in free throw percentage (74.3%), three-point FG defense (26.2%), rebounding defense (34.4), and third in field goal percentage (40.1%), three-point field goal percentage (33.5%), and threes per game (6.6). Fordham is also fifth in scoring margin (+2.9) and assist/turnover ratio (0.8). On the individual level, G'mrice Davis' 196 rebounds leads the league as does her 9.4 defensive boards per game.
 
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 1/3/17): Davis' 9.4 defensive rebounds per game are second-most in the nation, her 196 total rebounds also rank second, and her 12.3 rebounding average is third. Additionally, her eight double-doubles rank eighth in the country. Davis has tallied 14 or more rebounds in nine contests and has rattled off three 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. G'mrice Davis' 12.3 boards/game average ranks just beneath that mark through 16 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 273 three-pointers in her career in the Bronx and is fifth among active players in Division I for all-time downtown makes. She has been alternating between fifth and sixth with Akron's Hannah Plybon. The pair are at least 10 behind Washington's Kelsey Plum, who has 284, and Boston College's Kelly Hughes, who has 286 but was held 0-of-2 against the Rams in mid-November. Missry also 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 10 more makes to pass Amy Waugh (Xavier '00-'03) for sixth and 16 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.
 
113 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 113 consecutive appearances and 61 starts, including 38 straight. 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 Battle of the Bronx, Davis has now set two new scoring career-highs, as well, first with 22 points against Boston College and now 24 against the Jaspers. 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 34-of-99 from deep (34.3%) and has hit at least one three in all but two contests this season. She has hit three or four from behind the arc in her last four games. Her 2.1 per-game average is third in the conference.
 
66 To Go
Missry is 66 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 for second-most all-time in conference history.
 
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.
 
Fordham's Charity
Fordham is 47th in the country thus far with a 74.3% 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. Over the team's last five games, the Rams are 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.
 
Consistent Holden
Holden has made 31 consecutive starts at point guard, including all 16 this season. 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 seven double-digit games in her last eight, and if you remove the Manhattan game, the point guard is averaging 10.9 points on 42.4% shooting, plus 2.5 assists per game. Holden is averaging 8.9 points per game on the year and leads the team with 11 double-digit performances.
 
Efficient Paddles Off the Bench
Before entering the starting lineup three games ago for the ill Kate Kreslina, senior forward Danielle Padovano was averaging a career-low 10.2 minutes per game but excelling in limited time off the bench, shooting a team-best 58.3% (14-for-24) from the floor and 66.7% (6-for-9) from behind the arc. Her start to the season was incapsulated in her 4-of-4 performance from the field and 2-of-2 from deep against Niagara, the first game this season in which a Fordham bench player finished in double figures.
 
Fomina Facilitating Off the Bench
The Latvian junior guard is averaging 15.7 minutes off the bench, appearing in every contest, and leads the team with 36 assists. 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 has flourished over her last five and has tallied either three or four assists in every game since. Over those five games, she has totaled 17 assists, five more than Danielle Burns, to go with 1.2 points and 2.4 rebounds. The junior also tallied a season-high 27 minutes against UNC Asheville.
 
Kreslina Named A-10 Rookie of the Week
Redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week two weeks ago, 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.
 
Fordham Downs Duquesne in Big A-10 Opening Win
A new wrinkle in the A-10 schedule for the 2016-17 season was introduced by the league this offseason, featuring very early conference contests taking place in the beginning of December for most teams. The Rams were chosen to open A-10 play against last year's A-10 Championship runner-up Duquesne, the team that knocked them out of the postseason a year ago, 70-65, in the second round. The Rams got their revenge and then some, defeating the Dukes, 64-51, last Thursday night. After Duquesne scored on its first possession, Fordham went on a quick 8-0 run with threes by Danielle Burns and Hannah Missry sandwiched around a Kate Kreslina layup. The Rams outscored Duquesne, 16-9, in the first quarter and wouldn't relinquish their lead. Danielle Burns posted a season-high 22 points and seven rebounds as her team shot 46.7% from the floor as a group and the highest mark of the season from downtown, 50% on 10-of-20 shooting, while committing a season-low 11 fouls. G'mrice Davis nearly had a double-double (nine points, 10 rebounds), as Hannah Missry tallied 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting from downtown.
 
Clutch Shots Sink Albany in Double OT Thriller
The Rams hosted Albany on November 22 for its first non-Preseason WNIT contest of the season and the game turned out to be an epic back-and-forth. In Coach Gaitley's 900th career contest, Fordham squared off with the five-time defending America East champions in the Bronx and took an early 23-19 advantage in the first quarter on a very efficient 9-of-12 shooting from the field. The Great Danes fought back, took a one-point lead into halftime, and controlled the game for much of the second half, until the very end. Senior Danielle Burns hit two big three-pointers in the final minute, the last one coming with just one second left in regulation to force overtime. Albany took three leads in the first overtime period but Fordham answered every time and eventually took a small lead until Albany's Tiana-Jo Carter knocked down a jumper to force the sixth period of the night. Albany scored the first bucket in double overtime but Fordham dominated over the next four minutes during a 9-0 run to close out the game. Burns finished with a team-high 19 points, while Lauren Holden and Kate Kreslina each notched career-highs with 18 and 15 points, respectively.
 
G Finishes the WNIT with a Bang
G'mrice Davis totaled 28 points, 25 rebounds, six steals, and two blocks over the final two games of the Preseason WNIT, at #1 Notre Dame and against Little Rock at home. Against the Fighting Irish, Davis corralled a career-high 15 rebounds and led the team with nine points, three assists, and four steals in 36 minutes, matching a career-high. Against the Trojans, Davis enjoyed her first double-double of the year, notching 19 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals over a team-high 31 minutes.
 
Kreslina Flirts with Triple Double
Redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina debuted against Furman with 10 points and eight rebounds, close to her first career double-double. After struggling at #1 Notre Dame, Kreslina enjoyed a terrific all-around performance in the next game against Little Rock, posting nine points with career-highs of nine rebounds and six assists to flirt with her first career triple-double.
 
Fordham at #1 Notre Dame
On November 14, the Rams traveled to South Bend, Ind. for a Preseason WNIT second round match-up with the top team in the country in the Fighting Irish, the first time Fordham has ever played #1. The Rams held their own, keeping the Irish to  34 points at halftime and 47 points through three quarters, before a 20-4 fourth period led to the eventual 67-36 final score. Fordham kept Notre Dame within reach for most of the contest and even held a third quarter lead for nearly the entire frame until two straight and-ones led to a slim 13-12 lead. Until a loss against Connecticut when the Huskies won on the road, 72-61, it had been the lowest scoring total the Irish had been held to all season and just the 22nd time in the last decade that Notre Dame had been held to 67 points or less.
 
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 on Saturday.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Gillis, a 6'4 forward/center from Asheville, North Carolina, played basketball with Kwiatkowski at Carolina Day School and at the club level with the Western North Carolina Lady Royals. Gillis averaged 11.1 points, 10.5 rebounds, and three blocks per contest over her high school career and is a two-time state champion.
 
Heremaia is a 5'9 wing from Whangarei, New Zealand, was a dominant two-way player the past two seasons at St. Peter's high school in Cambridge, averaging 25.4 points, 14.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 8.2 steals per game and has featured extensively for the New Zealand junior ranks, playing at the U15, U17, U19, and U23 levels. Of Heremaia, Gaitley says, "she is one of the best passers I've ever seen".

Jillings is a 5'11 combo guard that reminds Gaitley of former Ram standout Erin Rooney. The Auckland native played at Westlake Girls high school for the last four years, at the club level with the North Harbour Basketball Association's various junior programs, and internationally where she has captained the U16, U17 and U19 Kiwis. As a 14-year old, Jillings captained the U16 team to an Australian State Championship was was a reserve at the FIBA Oceania Championships. In 2014, Jillings helped North Harbour to a national championship and Westlake to the Auckland Premiere Championship. Last year, Westlake successfully defended their title as Jillings compiled averages of 22 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals, and two blocks per game. 2016 was more of the same as Jillings helped Westlake to fourth at nationals, averaging over 20 points per contest, and helping North Harbour U19s to a national title.
 
Kwiatkowski, a 5'8 combo guard from Biltmore Lake, N.C., has averaged 12.4 points, four rebounds, five assists, and there and a half steals per game over her high school career with the Wildcats. She is also a bonafide track star, winning state and conference championships as a freshman and sophomore in the 800 meter, 1600 meter, and 3200 meter, and defending her conference titles successfully as a junior and senior. She was also state champion as a freshman and junior in cross country and conference champion each year except her sophomore campaign.
 
Tavui is a 6'4 center from Nausori, Fiji, and attended Lelean Memorial high school. She has won a national club championship with the Raptors of the Fiji Amateur Basketball Association in 2013 and in 2014, she joined the international ranks as a member of the U18 Fiji National team, playing in FIBA Oceania qualifiers and points 11.7 points and 19.7 rebounds per game while leading the team in minutes. A year later, she participated in the Pacific Games Women's Basketball Championship in Papua New Guinea where Fiji won gold. This summer, she played alongside Fordham's video coordinator, Valerie Nainima, with the Fiji Select Women's Basketball team in two friendlies against the Chinese National U18 squad. Tavui was also chosen to represent her country at the first-ever FIBA-organized Oceania Pacific Youth Leadership Basketball Camp, held in Australia, and is also one of the top talents of her age group in netball, one of the most popular sports in her homeland.
 
Kreslina on the International Scene
Redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina spent part of this past summer helping Latvia to a seventh place finish at the 2016 FIBA U20 Women's European Championship.  Kreslina averaged 9.6 points per contest, third-most on her team. Latvia finished with a 1-2 record in the group phase but had a higher margin of victory than the Netherlands and advanced. Kreslina was named the top performer among her teammates in the opening match against the Dutch with a 6-4-2 line. In the next game, a win over Greece, Kreslina piled up 19 points, five rebounds, and a team-high four assists in 21 minutes, making 6-of-12 from the field and 6-of-8 from the line. Rounding out group play, Kreslina had 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting in a loss to France. Latvia impressively knocked off Germany in the round of 16, with Kreslina chipping in 12 points in 28 minutes, but fell to eventual runner-up Italy in the quarterfinals despite Kreslina's 10 points in a team-high 37 minutes. Kreslina only played 14 minutes in the seventh-place match-up with Poland. This wasn't the first international tournament for the Latvian guard, as she's also participated in four others: the 2013 U18 Euros, the 2013 U20 Euros, the 2012 U16 Euros, and the 2011 U16 Euros.
 
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 seven remaining games in Atlantic 10 play, including one nationally televised home contest – the home season finale against Dayton on February 19.

Up Next
Fordham travel down to Fairfax, Va. for a Saturday afternoon meeting at George Mason this Saturday with tip-off slated for 1 p.m.