Women's Basketball Hosts Saint Louis on Saturday

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (11-4, 2-0 A-10) will carry a four-game winning streak, and two straight to begin Atlantic 10 play, into Saturday afternoon's contest against Saint Louis (8-7, 2-0 A-10). The meeting between two of the last four unbeaten A-10 teams will tip off at 1 p.m. and will be the first game of a Fordham basketball doubleheader.

The contest will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network, as well as WFUV Sports, as usual. For the former, click the link above and select your service provider, or use the CBS Sports app.
 
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Upcoming Promotions
Superhero Day: All children 8^th grade and younger can dress up like their favorite superheroes and get in for FREE TOMORROW, January 6 against Saint Louis! Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.
 
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. MORE INFORMATION.
 
Last Time Out at Massachusetts
As has been the case on occasion this season, Fordham struggled to get going in the early going of this contest, with the Minutewomen jumping out to an early 14-5 lead on 50% shooting and the Rams' offense shooting just 2-of-8 from the field. Bre Cavanaugh put that struggling offensive unit on her back in the first half, scoring eight of her team's 12 first-quarter points and 17 of its 27 points by halftime. Fordham came out with renewed energy in the third quarter and effectively took the game over with a 24-10 period in which the Rams shot 11-of-20 from the floor and held the Minutewomen to just 5-of-14 shooting. Part of that was an emphasis on the glass, with Fordham outrebounding its opponent, 15-4, during the frame, including a span of seven minutes in which the hosts failed to record a board. G'mrice Davis scored her team's first six points of the quarter, the final one retaking the lead for good, 33-32. Zara Jillings, making her second career start, banked home a three with seconds remaining in the period to give Fordham a double-digit lead. Cavanaugh poured in a game-high 23 points, her fifth 20-point performance of the season, while Davis tallied her fourth straight double-double of 18 points and 14 rebounds. Lauren Holden chipped in 12 points, Jillings added seven points, four boards, and a season-high five assists, and Halei Gillis provided solid minutes off the bench with two points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals across just 16 minutes.
 
Series History vs. Saint Louis
The Billikens hold a 9-6 advantage since 2006, the first year that they joined the Atlantic 10. The two schools have traded off winning streaks after Fordhams initial 70-58 win in the Bronx that year. Saint Louis won five straight and then Fordham won five straight. Currently, the Billikens enter Saturday's contest with a four-game winning streak, including two wins last year, one in Missouri and one in the A-10 Championship quarterfinals.
 
Davis Named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week
G'mrice Davis was named this week's Atlantic 10 Player of the Week after leading the Rams to a 3-0 record over a four-day span. The senior forward averaged 18.0 points, 13.7 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, while shooting 59.5% from the floor and converting 76.9% of her free throws. She played 36.3 minutes per contest. It is the preseason First Team All-Conference selection's first weekly honor of her senior campaign.
 
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 career points with her first basket at Albany. The Philadelphia native now sits on 1,189 career points, having just passed Mary Ann Bilotti ('80) and Mobolaji Akiode ('03) for 11th all-time. Davis is behind current Director of Player Development Abigail Corning's 1,213 career points.
 
Top-10 Ranked Defense
Stephanie Gaitley's Rams have spent the majority of this season in the top-10 nationally in scoring defense and were ranked ninth heading into the match-up with #11/12 UCLA. The Bruins scored 67 points in that one, their third-lowest output of the year, but it dropped Fordham to 21st in the country. The Rams have responded by holding Hartford to 44 points, UC Davis to 62, George Washington to 50, and UMass to 51 during the current four-game winning streak, to rise back to 10th in the nation with 53.9 points allowed per contest. Fordham has allowed five 60-point games to opponents in its last nine contests, but hold a 7-2 record over that span. All other opponents this season have scored between 33 and 59 points, with just seven of its 15 opponents reaching the 55-point mark. Opponents are shooting 39.4% from the field but just 26.7% from behind the arc, ranked 22nd in the country. Under Gaitley, the Rams have been a top-50 defense in all six of her previous seasons and have finished within the top-20 in half of those.
 
Atlantic 10's Top Team in RPI
The Rams are the A-10's top representative in NCAA RPI, at 63. Fordham has wins over St. John's (52nd), Northern Colorado (50th), and UC Davis (51st), played both Albany (62nd) and Penn State (70th) tight, and held UCLA (15th) to its third-lowest scoring output on the year. St. John's was ranked 12th at the time of their meeting. Saint Louis is ranked 123rd.
 
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 10.5 defensive boards per contest, is second with 13.5 rebounds per game, and is seventh with 189 total boards. The senior's 12 double-doubles ranks third in the country, as well. Davis has tallied at least 13 points, 13 rebounds, and one steal in all but five contests this year, missing out on two more these last two games by not recording a steal. Davis' 13.5 rebounds per game currently ranks third in a single season at Fordham, behind Anne Gregory O'Connell's two best single-campaign rates and ahead of her third-best, 13.1. Last year, Davis' final clip of 12.8 boards per game ended up fourth-highest, ahead of Gregory O'Connell's worst mark of 12.4.
 
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 turnovers and sinking free throws at solid rates. Fordham ranks seventh in Division I with just 13.5 personal fouls per game, and 39th with 203 total fouls. Both marks rank first in the conference. At the free throw line, the Rams convert on 75.0% of their attempts, ranked third in the A-10 and 37th in the country. Part of the team's success on defense comes from limiting opposing rebounds and three-point shooting. Fordham grabs just 37.5 rebounds per contest (209th) but has a rebounding margin of +7.4, which ranks 43rd, thanks to holding opponents to just 30.1 boards per game. Foes are also shooting just 26.7% from behind the arc, which ranks 22nd in the country, as well. The Rams have done better at taking care of the ball, too, with just 14.6 per game, ranked 81st overall.
 
Lauren Holden ranks second in Division I in minutes played per game, at 39.3, and third in total minutes at 590. The junior guard played all 50 minutes at St. John's and has gone the distance in 10 of 15 games this season. Aside from outings of 29 and 33 minutes, the junior has played at least 37 minutes in every game. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis have also been asked to log heavy minutes this year, ranked 11th and 25th, respectively, with 37.9 and 37.0.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
A staple of the Gaitley-led Rams is defense, and no stat better represents that than Fordham's 53-5 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 4-0 this season, just missing out on two more the last two games with the Colonials and Minutewomen scoring late baskets in the final seconds.
 
Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams' defense have ranked within the top-50 in every season, and within the top-20 at the conclusion of half of them. 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 holding opponents at 54.1 points per game, which ranks 10th in the country.
 
Cavanaugh a Two-Time A-10 Rookie of the Week
Redshirt freshman Bre Cavanaugh has been named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week twice this year, 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 also won twice. The Allamuchy, N.J. native was critial to the team's success in beating St. John's and Bucknell, 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. Against Bucknell, she scored all 22 of her points after the first quarter on a career-best eight field goals with two more threes, 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. This year, they are 8-1 thus far in the Bronx. Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams hold a 79-25 (76.0%) record at home across 103 contests. On the flip side, including this year's 3-3 start, Gaitley's Rams are 52-55 (48.6%) on the road or on neutral ground during her tenure.
 
Got a Minute?
Junior tri-captain Lauren Holden ranks second in the country with 39.3 minutes played per contest, and is also third with 590 total minutes played. She has gone the distance on 10 separate occasions 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 45 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, with about 120 minutes to go. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis are also inside the top-20 nationally in minutes played, with 37.9 and 37.0, respectively, ranked 11th and 25th, 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' 488 rebounds, 156 have come on the offensive glass, or just under one third of the time (31.9%). For the season, Goulding and Davis each have grabbed 33 offensive boards, with the former tallying more on the offensive glass than defensive (25). Johanna Klug's tallied 24 offensive boards to 25 defensive, and a third of Zara Jillings' 24 rebounds come on the offensive end, as well. Three others have at least seven on the year.
 
Holden From Downtown
Lauren Holden jumped ahead of Annie Zopf ('09) with the last of her three three-pointers against UC Davis on December 29 to enter the all-time top-10 in career three's. She's since moved up to ninth, with 115, passing Monica Mack ('05). She is 19 away from passing Arielle Collins ('13).
 
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 131 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 595-350 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 173 between Fordham and Saint Joseph's, but is 65 behind Joe McKeown's record of 240 that he accumulated during his 17 years with George Washington from 1989 to 2008.
 
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' 562 rebounds, 185 have come on the offensive glass, or just under one third of the time (32.9%). For the season, Davis has 42, Goulding is next with 33 and has offensive than defensive boards (25), something that Johanna Klug shares in common with her (31/29), and nearly one third of Zara Jillings' 47 rebounds come on the offensive end (15). Four others have between six and nine. Fordham outrebounds its opponents on the offensive glass, 185-131.
 
Counting on Cavanaugh
The redshirt freshman waited two years to grace a collegiate basketball court in an official capacity 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 eight or more points in all 15 games and in double figures in all but two, including five 20-point efforts. After scoring between 10-12 points through her first four games, the Allamuchy, N.J. native strung together five of six games with at least 14 points and, after nine and eight points in back-to-back games against UCLA and Hartford, Cavanaugh has fired off games of 24, 16, and 23 points. Her first weekly honor came after after combining for 35 points in wins at Manhattan and Pittsburgh, her second after scoring nine of her 20 points in the two overtime periods at St. John's and then 22 in a win over Bucknell. Cavanaugh ranks 11th in the country, and second in the conference, with 37.9 minutes per game and is shooting 37.4% from the field, 27.7% from deep, and 81.8% from the charity stripe. In Fordham's 11 wins, Cavanaugh is the team's leading scorer at 16.9 points per game on 41.6% shooting, 30.3% from deep, and 80.8% from the charity stripe, with 4.6 boards per game, 20 assists, and a team-high 14 steals. She has also made at least one three-pointer in every contest, has hit two in nine, and just dropped three for the first time on Wednesday night.
 
Klug Gaining Confidence
The freshman forward from Germany started her Fordham career with a bang, dropping 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting and 7-of-9 shooting from the line, with seven rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal across 30 minutes. However, Klug, a starter in all but one contest this season, fell into a slump over her next seven games. During that span, Klug averaged just 3.4 points and 2.7 rebounds over 20.4 minutes per game, with 35.7% shooting and just six free-throw attempts, plus an assist/turnover ratio of 3/18. Since then, the freshman has grown in confidence and it has shown, with Fordham recording a 6-1 record as Klug has averaged 8.3 points on a blistering 66.7% from the floor (26-of-39), 4.9 rebounds per game (including 18 offensive boards compared to 16 defensive) and 10 assists to seven turnovers. Klug has also blocked five shots and is averaging 31.1 minutes per game. In Fordham's 11 wins this year, Klug is scoring 7.7 points on 59.3% shooting across 27.5 minutes per game. The German international's 53.4% field goal shooting this season would rank fifth in the Atlantic 10 if she met the minimum attempt requirements.
 
Current Four-Game Winning Streak
During the team's current four-game winning streak, Fordham is averaging 65.5 points per game compared to opponents' 51.8. During this current streak, G'mrice Davis has led the way with 18.0 points (on 54.4% shooting), 13.8 rebounds, and nine assists,  team-highs and third-most in regards to assists, which helped her earn her A-10 Player of the Week award. Bre Cavanaugh is right there next to her averaging 17.8 points on 40.3% shooting, while Lauren Holden is shooting 40.3% from behind the arc (12-of-30) for 14.0 points per contest. Johanna Klug has been great, as well, with 9.0 points and 6.0 boards, while recording an assist/turnover ratio of 7/4 with three blocks. She's hit two-thirds of her attempts (16-of-24).
 
10 in 12
Expanding upon that, Fordham has won 10 of its last 12 contests, with the only two losses coming in a come-from-behind win by Penn State on the road and at home to #11/12 UCLA. The Rams are outscoring opponents by an average of 60.7 to 54.1, are outshooting opponents 40.8% to 39.6% and outrebounding foes, 450-358 (29.8 per game for opponents). Bre Cavanaugh leads the squad over this timeframe with 16.1 points on 40.1% shooting, while G'mrice Davis is right behind her with 15.8 points and 13.5 rebounds per game, plus 23 assists and 15 steals. Lauren Holden is next with 10.4 points on 31.6% shooting and 31.0% from downtown. Mary Goulding, in her eight contests, has averages of 9.8 points and 7.1 boards, while Johanna Klug's at 6.2 and 4.0, respectively, while shooting 60.0% from the floor (33-of-55). Both Goulding and Klug have more offensive boards than defensive. In limited action off the bench, the freshmen New Zealand duo of Kendell Heremaia and Zara Jillings are averaging 3.3 and 2.4 points, respectively, and 2.3 and 3.3 boards. Jillings has attempted just 27 shots but is converting at a 40.7% rate and is fifth in the squad with 18 assists, plus four blocks and five steals.
 
Slow Starts, Strong Finishes
This season, the Rams are scoring 190 and 201 points in the first two quarters of games, respectively, before turning on the jets in second halves, with 244 and 232 points scored in the third and fourth quarters. Fordham is outscoring its opponents in all four periods, none moreso than in the 10 minutes after halftime, 244-197, but also, 201-172, in second periods after the 20-10 advantage Fordham held over George Washington on Sunday. Fordham outscored UMass, 24-10, in the third quarter on Wednesday. Opponents are keeping things close over the final 10 minutes, however, 232-227, this season
 
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.
 
Opponents Scoring Under 40
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. Jillings and Klug each participated with their respective national teams over the summer, with the former playing sporadically for the New Zealand senior national team and Klug helped lead Germany to the European U20 B championship. 
 
Career Milestone Watch
- G'mrice Davis is 11 points away from 1,200
- G'mrice Davis is 41 rebounds away from 1,000
- G'mrice Davis is 18 offensive rebounds away from 250
- G'mrice Davis is five free throws away from 250
- G'mrice Davis is 28 field goals away from 500
- G'mrice Davis is three appearances away from 110
- G'mrice Davis is 106 minutes away from 3,000
- 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 25 points away from 650
- Lauren Holden is 39 field goals away from 250
- Lauren Holden is 62 minutes away from 2,500
 
60 is the Magic Number?
The Rams were 15-0 when scoring 60 or more points last season. Fordham was also 11-1 when holding opponents under 50 points (and 13-1 when holding them at 52 or under). After scoring at or under 55 points across their first six contests this year, the Rams have scored 60 or more in eight of the last nine contests, and have a 7-1 record when hitting the 60-point mark.
 
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 remain in the Bronx to host Davidson next Wednesday for the team's annual Field Trip Day event in front of over one thousand local schoolchildren. Tipoff is set for 12 p.m.