Women's Basketball Hosts 11th Annual Fordham Holiday Classic

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (7-4) saw a three-game winning streak snapped at the hands of #11/12 UCLA last Wednesday night, 67-30, in what turned out to be the program's third-lowest scoring output overall and lowest output at home since 1975. It was also the largest margin of defeat by a Gaitley-led Fordham squad, and just the second time an opponent has won by more than 25 points during the span, after last year's 31-point loss at Notre Dame last season, then ranked #1 in the country. The Rams will look to bounce back this Thursday and Friday when they host the 11th annual Fordham Holiday Classic. Fordham will kick things off by playing Hartford (7-4) at 1 p.m. and either UC Davis (9-2) or Yale (7-4) on Friday. Both Fordham matches will be streamed live on the A-10 Digital Network.
 
Upcoming Promotions
Take a Kid to a Game Day: Tomorrow's game against Hartford and the first day of the 11^th annual Fordham Holiday Classic. Free admission for children 12 years and younger. Our Youth Clinic will also be held from 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the Vince Lombardi Field House for girls 8^th grade and younger and boys 6^th grade and younger. Click HERE to register for the clinic.
 
Superhero Day: All children 8^th grade and younger can dress up like their favorite superheroes and get in for FREE! Saturday, January 6 against Saint Louis!
 
Bring Your Best Day: All children 8^th grade and younger can bring their best grades from school and get in for FREE by showing them off at the ticketing table! Wednesday, January 17 against Dayton!
 
Ginny Doyle Free Throw Contest: Girls and Boys grades 3-8 (excluding 8^th graders at the high school level) are eligible to compete. Interested teams must signed up and hold their own contests at their respective gyms. Ask your coach for specific date and times. Winners (up to two) from each team's contest will meet in the championship round at Fordham's Rose Hill Gym on January 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Winners will be named in three different grade brackets (3^rd and 4^th, 5^th and 6^th, and 7^th and 8^th). Each participant will have 20 shots. Cost is $10 to participate with all donations going towards the Ginny Doyle Women's Basketball Foundation. Every single participating player will receive a free ticket to Fordham's game against Dayton on the 17^th. For more information and the required forms, CLICK HERE.
 
Last Time Out vs. #11/12 UCLA
The preseason Pac-12 favorites hit their first basket two minutes into the game and never looked back, as Fordham struggled with its shot and on the glass throughout. The Rams shot just 10-of-51 (19.6%) from the field, while the Bruins connected on 26-of-55 attempts (47.3%), and were outrebouded, 51-22, with a 17-8 margin on the offensive glass, which led to 17 second-change points for UCLA and 30 overall points in the paint. Fordham did force the nationally-ranked Bruins into 19 turnovers, a season-high for an opponent, but could just score just nine points off of those turnovers. Comparatively, UCLA scored 14 points off 14 Fordham turnovers. The Rams hit just 4-of-16 shoots in the first quarter, which turned out to be the most they would make in any period on the night, scoring between one and three in the other quarters. They would hit just 2-of-21 three-pointers on the night, as well, coming on back-to-back possessions by Bre Cavanaugh and Lauren Holden in the third quarter. Cavanaugh led her team in scoring with nine points on 2-of-12 shooting, while Holden chipped in six points, two boards, and two steals, which matched a career-high. G'mrice Davis, who tallied double-doubles in her first eight games to begin the season, missed out for a second straight game, finishing with seven points and eight rebounds, plus a team-high three assists, and two steals, across 38 minutes. It was just the fifth time under Coach Gaitley that the Rams have been held under 40 points, with three coming during her first season in charge. The 30 points were a program-low output at home since 1975 and third-lowest overall, a short list that includes a 29-point game at Saint Joseph's in 2000 when Gaitley coached the Hawks. For UCLA, it was their third-lowest scoring output of the season.
 
Series Histories
Hartford - Fordham holds a 4-0 record all-time against Hartford, dating back to 1984. This will be the first meeting between the two schools since 1991, when Fordham defeated the Hawks, 74-60, in West Hartford, Conn.
 
UC Davis – First meeting.
 
Yale – Fordham holds a 12-6 all-time series lead over the Bulldogs, dating back to 1973. The two schools met 13 times between then and 1990, with Fordham taking eight of those contests. Fordham has won seven of the last eight, including 2013's 80-52 victory in the Bronx. The year before, Yale was victorious, 67-53, in New Haven, Conn.
 
Holiday Classic History
This will be the 11^th straight year that Fordham has hosted its Holiday Classic tournament, timed between Christmas and New Year's Day. Fordham is a two-time champion, winning in 2008 over Bryant and 2013 over Harvard. They are also three-time runners-up. G'mrice Davis' 15 rebounds last year against Buffalo tied the tournament record with Siena's Serena Moore in 2010. Lauren Holden was named to the All-Tournament squad a year ago.

Davis Scores 1,000th Point
G'mrice Davis entered her senior campaign with 970 career points scored and knowing it wouldn't be long to become the 20th Ram to ever accomplish the feat of scoring 1,000 career points in maroon and white. After scoring 28 combined points in her first two games, she was able to reach 1,000 quickly at Albany. The Philadelphia native has since scored 102 points over her last four contests and now sits on 1,117 career points, having just passed former teammate Erin Rooney ('14) for 17th all-time. Heather Donlon ('93) and Christie Kennedy ('92) are next with 1,121 and 1,123 points, respectively.
 
Top-25 Ranked Defense
Fordham came into last Wednesday's contest allowing the ninth-fewest points per game in the country, at just 53.5, to opponents, which has now ballooned up to 21st after allowing 67 points to #11 UCLA. The Rams have now allowed four straight 60-point games to opponents in their last five contests (Penn State, St. John's, Bucknell, and UCLA), holding a 2-2 record over that span, although the Red Storm only scored 53 points in regulation. However, all other opponents this year have scored between 33 and 59 points, with just six of 11 hitting the 55-point mark. Under Stephanie Gaitley, the Rams have been a top-50 defense each year and have finished within the top-20 in half of her six previous campaigns.
 
One of the Nation's Top Rebounders
G'mrice Davis, the nation's returning leading rebounder, hasn't missed a beat, leading all of Division I with 10.9 defensive boards per contest, and is second with 13.4 rebounds per game. The senior missed out on a ninth straight double-double by one rebound against Bucknell, and again against UCLA, but her eight double-doubles still ranks eighth overall. Davis had also seen a streak of at least 11 points, 13 rebounds, and one steal snap at seven consecutive games.
 
National Ranks
Davis is once again doing her thing on the glass and the Rams are, as usual under Coach Gaitley, a top defensive squad, but this year's team is also minimizing fouls and sinking free throws at top rates. Fordham ranks 19th overall with just 156 total fouls and 20th nationally with 14.2 per game, both of which rank first in the conference. At the free throw line, the Rams convert on 73.6% of their attempts, ranked third in the A-10 and 59th in the country, although those numbers had been 76.2% and 28th, respectively, before the Bucknell game. Opposing teams are also hitting just 26.0% of long-range attempts, ranked 24th. It's not just Davis helping clean up the boards, too, with three others averaging 3.3 or more boards per game (and three others between 2.5 and 3.0). The group unsurprisingly rank 101st overall with an +4.4 rebounding margin over opponents, of whom just St. John's and UCLA have bested on the glass. The Rams were actually ranked 51st in the country prior to last Wednesday's contest.
 
Lauren Holden ranks second in Division I in minutes played, with 39.4. The junior guard played all 50 minutes at St. John's and has gone the distance in seven contests out of 11. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis have also been asked to log heavy minutes, ranked 16th and 18th, respectively, with 37.6 and 37.4 minutes per contest.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
A staple of the Gaitley-led Rams is defense, and no stat better represents that than Fordham's 52-5 record when holding opponents under 50 points during her tenure. Last January, Saint Joseph's defeated the Rams, 47-44, at Hagan Arena in Philadelphia, ending a streak of 38 consecutive contests with such victories. The last time before that loss, coincidentally, was also against the Hawks, in the 2013 A-10 Championship game at the Barclays Center, 47-46. Fordham was 10-1 last year when holding opponents under 50 points and are 3-0 this season.
 
Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams have ranked within the top-50 in all six seasons, and within the top-20 at the conclusion of half of them, in scoring defense. The highest a Gaitley-coached defense has finished was 12th during the conference championship-winning 2013-14 campaign, holding opponents at 56.3 points per game, while the 2012-13 squad held opponents to just 52.4 points per game, ranked 16th nationally. Last year, Fordham held opponents to 56.2 points per game and was ranked 19th in the country at season's end. This season, the Rams are 3-0 in such games, holding UMBC, Northern Colorado, and Manhattan all to under 48 points.
 
Cavanaugh Named A-10 Rookie of the Week Again
Redshirt freshman Bre Cavanaugh was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Monday afternoon, in addition to the Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association's Player of the Week and College Sports Madness' A-10 Player of the Week, a honor that Cavanaugh has now won in two of the last three weeks. The Allamuchy, N.J. native was critial to the team's success in beating St. John's and Bucknell this past week, with two team-high 20-point contests. Against the Red Storm, Cavanaugh scored 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting, two three's, with five boards, an assist, and a steal across a season-high 48 minutes out of a possible 50. Sunday against Bucknell, she scored all 22 of her career-high points after the first quarter on a career-best eight field goals with two more three's, six rebounds, and two steals over 38 minutes.
 
This Is Our House
Fordham finished its 2016-17 campaign with a 16-3 at home, as opposed to a 5-7 record on the road and 1-2 at neutral sites. They were also 7-1 during home conference contests for the second year in a row. Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams hold a 76-25 (75.2%) record at home across 101 contests. They are 5-1 thus far this season in the Bronx. On the flip side, including this year's 2-3 start, Gaitley's Rams are 51-55 (48.1%) on the road or on neutral ground.
 
Got a Minute?
Junior tri-captain Lauren Holden ranks second in the country with 39.4 minutes played per contest. She has gone the distance in seven different games this season and had a stretch of three straight 40-minute shifts over a seven-day span between November 29 and December 6, plus all 50 minutes at St. John's and all 40 against Bucknell. She also played all 45 minutes in an overtime loss at Albany. A starter since midway through her freshman season, Holden passed the 2,000-minute mark against Northern Colorado and is fast approaching the all-time top-20. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis are also inside the top-20 nationally in minutes played, with 37.6 and 37.4, respectively.
 
Crashing the Offensive Glass
Fordham grabbed an astounding 23 offensive rebounds at Penn State, compared to 16 on the defensive end, which was 20 more than the Lady Lions' three by night's end. Mary Goulding grabbed nine of her 10 rebounds on offensive possessions, while G'mrice Davis split her 14 boards evenly on either side. For the season, of the Rams' 404 rebounds, 132 have come on the offensive glass, or just under one third of the time (32.7%). For the season, Goulding has more offensive boards (33) than defensive (25), while Johanna Klug has 18 apiece. Four players have at least 10 offensive rebounds.
 
Counting on Cavanaugh
The redshirt freshman has waited two years to grace a collegiate basketball court in action and her hardwork and perseverence are paying off in a big way. Now a two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, Cavanaugh has scored 10 or more points in all but one contest to begin her career with three 20-point efforts coming in her last six games and two straight between St. John's and Bucknell. After scoring between 10-12 points through the first four games, Cavanaugh notched 16 points at Manhattan to go with a season-high seven rebounds, then dropped 21 on Pittsburgh several days later on 7-of-13 shooting. At Penn State, the guard scored just 10 but dished out four assists, grabbed five boards, and notched a pair of steals. After dropping 14 in 24 minutes against Iona, Cavanaugh earned her second weekly honor with back-to-back 20-point games, first tallying 20 points on 7-of-18 shooting in a double overtime win at St. John's, nine of her points coming after regulation to lead Fordham to victory, plus taking a critical charge with under a minute to play in first overtime. Against Bucknell, she hit a personal-best eight field goals to score a season-high 22 points.  Last Wednesday against UCLA, although she did lead the team in scoring, she failed to hit double digits, finishing with nine points on 2-of-12 shooting. Cavanaugh ranks 16th in the country, and second in conference, with 37.6 minutes per game and is shooting 36.0% from the field, 28.8% from deep, and 82.4% from the charity stripe. During the team's recent stretch of six wins in seven games, she led the team with 16.1 points per game on 43.2% shooting and 38.7% from behind the arc.
 
Three-Game Winning Streak
The Rams enjoyed a three-game winning streak before the loss to UCLA, thanks to big performances by Bre Cavanaugh, G'mrice Davis, and Mary Goulding. Over that stretch, Cavanaugh led the team with 18.7 points per contest on a blistering 50% shooting from the field (19-of-38) and 45.5% shooting from behind the arc (5-of-11). She averaged 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals over that time. Davis, as usual, had an average double-double of 16.7 points and 13.0 rebounds, plus six assists, six steals, and two blocks, and hit 12-of-14 free throws. Goulding grabbed more offensive boards (11) than defensive (8) and chipped in 11.0 points and 6.3 rebounds, plus a team-high 15 assists. Lauren Holden assisted on 11 makes, as well, and contributed 9.0 points per game. Johanna Klug had shaken off a slow stretch to average 8.7 points on 75% shooting over those three games (12-of-15). As a team, the Rams shot 45.7% from the floor and 37.8% from deep, plus 71.8% from the charity stripe, with 14 more assists (46) than turnovers (32). Perhaps most importantly, Fordham kept its turnovers down to 10.7 per game over that stretch with 15.3 assists. 
 
Six in Seven
Expanding upon that stretch of success, with six wins over seven contests over four weeks, the Rams were outscoring opponents by 8.7 points over that span, 62.3 to 53.6, were outshooting oppoents 41.3% to 38.3% from the floor and 33.3% to a paltry 21.5% from behind the arc, and were outrebounding foes 38.6 to 30.3. Cavanaugh was slightly ahead of Davis with 16.1 points per game compared to the senior's 15.8, while Davis did miss one game of action. Klug, in short spurts, shot a team-high 55.2% from the floor (16-for-29) and hit both of her three-point attempts, coming at St. John's, while Davis' 45.8%, Cavanaugh's 43.2%, and Goulding's 42.9% were next. Kendell Heremaia also shot the ball well, 38.7% from the floor but a team-high 44.4% from downtown (8-of-18) over that span. Goulding's 7.4 rebounds (and team-leading 29 offensive rebounds) trail Davis' 14.2 mark. Goulding and Holden combined for 48 assists and just 28 turnovers during the run.
 
Slow Starts, Strong Finishes
Over the team's first give games, opponents were outscoring Fordham, 58-49, in first quarters and, after the Pittsburgh game, 75-71, in second quarters. However, the Rams were thriving after halftime, outscoring opponents, 88-67, in third periods and 182-137 combined over the final 20 minutes. Fordham has begun to start contests better, outscoring Penn State, 49-42, over three quarters, and holding a 34-14 halftime lead against Iona, plus a slim 13-10 first quarter lead over St. John's last Tuesday. However, the Rams struggled to start against Bucknell on Sunday, trailing, 16-9, at the end of the first period, and 16-4 with less than two minutes to play, but used a furious 17-0 run and 25-13 second quarter to retake the lead for good. On the year, Fordham is outscoring opponents 625-602 overall. Prior to the UCLA game, the Rams were winning each quarter but now opponents are outscoring Fordham in the first half, 136-133 in first quarters and 135-134 in the second. Third periods are far and away Fordham's bread and butter, scoring 30 more points than opponents, 173-143, but again it gets close in the final frames, with the Rams holding a slim 165-164 advantage.
 
Davis Racks Up Preseason Honors
As mentioned, Davis' breakout junior season saw her earn First Team All-Conference and All-Defensive honors, and it was announced at A-10 Media Day that the league's coaches have predicted her to do so again as a senior. Davis was also recently selected as one of 20 players in Division I women's basketball for the inaugural Katrina McClain Award watch list, to be given out to the country's top power forward, starting this season.
 
Fordham Picked to Finish Fifth in Preseason Poll
Likewise, the league's coaches also predicted an identical fifth-place finish for Fordham in the preseason poll. Dayton, last year's champions, garnered eight first-place votes for a total of 182 points, just ahead of Saint Louis, who tallied 174 points and three first-place votes, and Saint Joseph's, with 170 points and the final three first-place votes. Duquesne, with 160 points, rounds out the top five in a predicted fourth-place finish. George Washington (116), La Salle (114), George Mason (79), Richmond (78), and Massachusetts (73) filled out spots 6-10, followed by VCU (56), St. Bonaventure (50), Rhode Island (46), and Davidson (22).
 
Five Fordham Debuts
Five freshmen made their debuts against UMBC, the most since 2011. Three of those freshmen started the contest, the most in the last 15 years. Joey Klug's 13 points were the most by a freshman in her debut since Hannah Missry scored 14 in 2013. Klug became the first freshman to record both a block and a steal in her debut over the last 15 years, as well, and the first to record at least one block since Samantha Clark had two in her 2012 debut. Cavanaugh's 39 minutes were the most by a freshman making her debut since Megan Mahoney played all 40 minutes in 2007.
 
Gaitley Makes History
Stephanie Gaitley reached 100 wins with the Fordham program against Little Rock on November 19, 2016, and later won her 116th contest at home against Massachusetts, 74-43, in February, passing Kathy Mosolino ('74-'80) for the most wins in program history. Gaitley tied and passed the milestone with two typical Gaitley-inspired performances, with three-pointers and excellent defense, holding both opponents below 50 points. Entering the 2017-18 season, Gaitley had 120 wins across six seasons in the Bronx, an average of over 20 per campaign. Her 127 total wins are the second-most of any of Gaitley's stops in her 32-year career as a head coach, ahead of her 116 wins at Richmond (1985-91) but a ways away from her 10-year stint at Saint Joseph's (1991-2001), in which she racked up 196 wins. Gaitley has a career 591-350 record and has the second-most overall wins among active A-10 coaches, behind Saint Louis' Lisa Stone, and has the second-most wins by any Atlantic 10 coach, with 169 between Fordham and Saint Joseph's, but is 69 behind Joe McKeown's record of 240 that he accumulated during his 17 years with George Washington from 1989 to 2008.
 
Opponents Scoring <>
The Rams, all-time, since the move from the AIAW to the NCAA in 1983, have held opponents under 40 points 18 times, all coming in 1990 and beyond. Under Stephanie Gaitley, that number is seven, with Northern Colorado's output of 33 points being the latest. The Bears came into that contest averaging 69 points per contest over five game. Their 33 points were the third-lowest by a Fordham opponent all-time.
 
Fordham on the International Scene
The Rams boast one of the larger international contingents, between players and coaching staff, in the country. Seven different countries are represented: Barbados (Sonia Burke), Fiji (Valerie Nainima, Vilisi Tavui), Germany (Johanna Klug), Latvia (Asnate Fomina), Poland (Angelika Szumilo), and New Zealand (Mary Goulding, Kendell Heremaia, Zara Jillings), and 13 from the USA.
 
Career Milestone Watch
- G'mrice Davis is 33 points away from 1,150
- G'mrice Davis is 46 rebounds away from 950
- G'mrice Davis is 15 free throws away from 250
- G'mrice Davis is nine field goals away from 450
- G'mrice Davis is one start away from 75
- Asnate Fomina is two assists away from 150
- Asnate Fomina is 10 steals away from 50
- Asnate Fomina is 13 appearances away from 100
- Lauren Holden is 21 points away from 600
- Lauren Holden is seven field goals away from 200
- Lauren Holden is six assists away from 150
- Lauren Holden is 19 minutes away from 2,300
 
60 is the Magic Number?
The 66-61 double overtime win at La Salle last February was Fordham's 20th win of the season. It is the fourth time under Stephanie Gaitley that the Rams have amassed 20 or more wins, and it is the 16th season that Gaitley has personally won 20 or more, out of 31 seasons. Previously, there had been just five 20-win seasons in program history -- three with Kathy Mosolino (1977-80), one under Christina Wielgus (1991-92), and one under Kevin Morris (1993-94).
20 Wins
The 66-61 double overtime win at La Salle last February was Fordham's 20th win of the season. It is the fourth time under Stephanie Gaitley that the Rams have amassed 20 or more wins, and it is the 16th season that Gaitley has personally won 20 or more, out of 31 seasons. Previously, there had been just five 20-win seasons in program history -- three with Kathy Mosolino (1977-80), one under Christina Wielgus (1991-92), and one under Kevin Morris (1993-94).
 
Four Sign NLIs in 2017-18 Recruiting Class
Coach Gaitley announced a four-player class earlier this week, made up of two guards and two forwards, locally from New York and Pennsylvania: Chloe Chaffin, Kaitlyn Downey, Megan Jonassen, and Catherine Polisano. Read more about them HERE.
 
Up Next
The Rams will play either UC Davis or Yale on Friday afternoon before welcoming George Washington to the Bronx on Sunday afternoon to open Atlantic 10 play.