Women's Basketball Outlasts Saint Louis in 66-63 Thriller

Box Score (pdf) | Highlights

Bronx, N.Y. - Behind G'mrice Davis' career-high 31 points and Bre Cavanaugh's sixth 20-point performance, the Fordham women's basketball team outlasted Saint Louis on Saturday afternoon, 66-63, taking the lead for good in the final minutes. With their fifth straight victory, the Rams improve to 12-4 overall and 3-0 in Atlantic 10 play, while the Billikens fall to 8-8 and 2-1, respectively.
 
"Today was a great basketball game," Head coach Stephanie Gaitley said, "I'm super excited that we ended up on the winning end!"
 
Both teams ended the contest with identical 24-for-52 (46.2%) shooting performances but for much of the afternoon, Saint Louis hovered between 55 and 60 percent. The Rams never backed down, though, and kept pace with the Billikens. After trailing by a game-high seven points early in the third quarter, Davis went on a personal 12-2 run to help Fordham take a 50-47 lead six minutes later, and it was a tense battle from that point on. Saint Louis retook the lead in the fourth but it was a Cavanaugh spot-up three early in the shot clock that gave Fordham the lead for good with 1:53 left in regulation. Fordham's defense held tough and didn't allow another Saint Louis bucket.
 
Fordham led for most of the first quarter, jumping out to a 7-0 and 9-3 lead but the Billikens continued to make shots, especially from long range, and eventually took their first lead, 14-13, on a Maddison Gits layup. After a series of back-and-forth baskets, the visitors took a lead, 22-21, which they'd hold for the next 16 minutes, when Paige Rakers completed her three-point play.
 
After Davis' momentum-shifting run, it was Rakers again making a play for Saint Louis, drilling a three with 32 seconds left in the period to tie the game up at 50-apiece. Cavanaugh retook the lead with a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to take the slim advantage into the final 10 minutes.
 
Rakers and Billikens star guard Jackie Kemph combined for five unanswered points to take a brief lead, 57-56, with 6:34 to play, but Davis rumbled on with her final points of the day, hitting a jumper to push Fordham back in front. It was short-lived, though, with Jordyn Frantz hitting two consecutive baskets and Gits added a layup to cap a 6-2 run for the visitors to take a three-point lead, 63-60, with 3:24 left in regulation.
 
Those were the last points for Saint Louis as it became the Bre Cavanaugh show over the next three minutes. The redshirt freshman hit one of her two free throws on the next offensive possession and then, after a minute of scoreless play, hit a go-ahead spot-up three on the far wing early in the shot clock to send the Rose Hill crowd into rapture. The Rams defense locked down thereafter to prevent Saint Louis from scoring and Cavanaugh iced the game with a pair of free throws with a few seconds left.
 
Davis finished with a game-high 31 points (on 13-of-27 shooting), 15 rebounds, four assists, and two steals across 38 minutes, the team's first 30-point game since Danielle Burns also hit 31 last February 3rd against RV George Washington. Davis also moved into the school's all-time top-10 for career points, passing current Director of Operations Abigail Corning, and now up to 1,220 in maroon and white.
 
Cavanaugh added 20 points on 5-of-15 shooting but 8-of-9 from the line while playing all 40 minutes for a fourth straight game. Lauren Holden did as well but failed to score for the first time this season, attempting just two shots. The junior guard did match her season-high of six assists, though. Jillings, making her third start, added seven points and Johanna Klug chipped in six. Kendell Heremaia contributed across the board, hitting both of her free throws for two points and adding three rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in 17 minutes.
 
Fordham outrebounded Saint Louis, 36-23, the eighth time it has held an opponent below 30 boards and the fifth straight. Saint Louis had more assists, 18, but more turnovers, as the Rams had more of the former than the latter, 14-11. Fordham continued its hot shooting from the charity stripe, hitting 15-of-18 attempts.
 
Davis also ascended to ninth on two different all-time lists today, moving past Becky Peters ('12) and Erin Rooney ('14) with 485 field goals and 250 free throws, respectively.
 
Fordham is back in action on Wednesday, hosting Davidson for the team's annual Field Trip Day with a noon tipoff.