Women's Basketball Welcomes Charlotte to Rose Hill on Sunday

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (1-2) will look to stop a two-game skid on Sunday afternoon against former Atlantic 10 rival Charlotte (2-0) before heading out on the road for four straight games through the rest of the month, including next weekend's Gulf Coast Showcase. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. or 30 minutes following the conclusion of the day's opening game of the final day of the Johnny Bach Classic.
 
Last Time Out
The Rams started out hot against Penn State, welcoming the Lady Lions for the time ever to the Rose Hill Gym and looking to avenge a come-from-behind loss in Happy Valley a year ago. Fordham shot 50% from the field in the opening frame (10-of-20) with three three-pointers, to lead, 23-17, heading to the second quarter. Penn State chipped away over the next eight minutes, retaking the lead late in the half, but the Rams finished with a flourish, first with a Zara Jillings layup off a nice feed by Kaitlyn Downey and then a buzzer-beating three from Bre Cavanaugh. The hosts' shot disappeared after the break, though, as they were held to just 11 points combined in the second half as Penn State raced out to a 17-point win. Fordham hit just 5-of-32 shots during that time, including misses on all eight three-point attempts, and just 1-of-4 shooting from the charity stripe. After enjoying nine assists to five turnovers in the first half, the Rams had two and nine, respectively, to finish the game. Cavanaugh finished with 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting to go with eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals over 40 minutes. Downey and Mary Goulding each scored 11 points, the former notching her first double-double with 11 rebounds and the latter adding nine boards, yet again tallying more offensive than defensive, five to four.
 
Series History vs. Charlotte
The 49ers hold a 7-1 all-time lead in the series since 2006, though Fordham was victorious in their last meeting, 59-56, in 2013 down south. Charlotte left the A-10 after that season and the two schools haven't met since. Fordham is 0-4 in the Bronx against them.
 
Five Fordham Debuts
Five Rams made their collegiate debuts on Friday night against Wagner. Kaitlyn Downey got the start and scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor and 4-of-7 from the line across 19 minutes to go with five boards, an assist, and a steal. Redshirt freshman Vilisi Tavui scored four points with a pair of steals in 10 minutes off the bench and was joined by true freshmen Chloe Chaffin, Megan Jonassen, and Catherine Polisano. Polisano hit a first-quarter three for her lone points of the game, Jonassen scored two points and hauled in a pair of offensive rebounds, and Chaffin grabbed three boards and made one of her two freebies. There was five debuts a year ago, as well, the most since 2011.
 
Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll Results
For the second year in a row the Rams have themselves a preseason First Team All-Conference honoree. Last year it was senior G'mrice Davis but this year it is redshirt sophomore Bre Cavanaugh, who finished up a sensational rookie campaign with Second Team and All-Rookie distinction plus being named the MBWA's Metropolitan Rookie of the Year. The team, meanwhile, was predicted to finish in a tie for third place, alongside reigning conference champions, George Washington, in what is the highest the Rams have ever been in the annual poll under Coach Gaitley.
 
Wubba Lubba Dub-Dub
Through three games to open the 2018-19 season, the Rams have had three double-doubles, one in each game. However, each has been recorded by a different player. Redshirt sophomore set a new personal mark with 10 boards in the season opener to go with 20 points, Mary Goulding fell one rebound shy of her career-high, tallying 12 at Northeastern to go with 15 points, and Kaitlyn Downey posted 11 points and 11 rebounds on Wednesday against Penn State for her first career double-double. G'mrice Davis graduated in May tied for a NCAA-wide lead with 57 career double-doubles and had 27 last year alone. Goulding had five a year ago and now has eight in her career.
 
Crashing the Offensive Glass
Last year, nearly one-third of the Rams' 1,268 total rebounds came on the offensive glass (408). Fordham lost leading rebounder G'mrice Davis and freshman Johanna Klug in the offseason but the Rams haven't missed a beat thus far in 2018-19, hauling in just under 40% of their total boards on the offensive glass (39.2%). Of Mary Goulding's 28 rebounds, 15 have come on the offensive end and of Kaitlyn Downey's 22 boards, 10 have come on that end, as well. Bre Cavanaugh has seven offensive board and Megan Jonassen has six (out of 10) off the bench, as well. 11 different Rams have tallied at least one offensive board this year and seven have at least two. Fordham has either 41 or 42 rebounds in all three games and between 14 and 19 offensive rebounds in each.
 
Shooting Woes
After opening the season by shooting 43.3% from the field and 40.9% from behind the arc against Wagner, the Rams have struggled with their shot in three of the four halves since. At Northeastern, Fordham hit just 20-of-70 attempts (28.6%), including 4-of-27 from three-point territory (14.8%). The Rams shot under 30% just once all of last year, against nationally-ranked UCLA (19.6%) and would've done it again against Penn State on Wednesday (31.4%) if not for a scorching-hot start to the contest, with the team hitting 10-of-20 attempts from the field.
 
Heremaia's Career Night
Sophomore Kendell Heremaia was in the opening night starting lineup on Friday and delivered with an efficient 13 points, a new career-high, to go with seven rebounds, matching her previous high, and five assists, also a new personal-best. The New Zealand International sank three first-half three-pointers in four total in the game and a new high of five total baskets. Heremaia made seven starts as a freshman in 33 appearances.
 
For A Good Cause
Fordham attempted 27 free throws from the charity stripe in the season-opening win over Wagner, the most since an 85-72 win over Davidson two seasons ago. The Rams last year tied the program record for free-throw percentage, hitting 76.9% of their attempts, and were shooting 76.3% through two games this season but are down to 71.7% after making just 4-of-8 from the line against the Lady Lions. Nine different Rams have gotten to the line so far with four converting on all of their chances. Bre Cavanaugh has the most makes and attempts, hitting 12-of-16 thus far, while Kaitlyn Downey is 8-of-12 in the early going.
 
Three Sign Their NLIs
Coach Gaitley and the program announced three future additions to the team as Anna DeWolfe, Eden Johnson, and Sarah Karpell signed their National Letters of Intent. To read more about the newest Rams, click here.
 
Gaitley Gets Career Win Number 600
Stephanie Gaitley got her first career win against Siena in December 28, 1985. She got her 500th career victory while at Fordham, against Temple on March 10, 2013, in the Atlantic 10 Championship semifinals in Philadelphia. After stops at Richmond, Saint Joseph's, LIU Brooklyn, Monmouth, and now in the Bronx, the Ocean City, N.J. native can claim what less than 70 coaches all-time can: 600 career wins. She did it with a 72-48 win over St. Bonaventure on January 25 of this year, on her birthday, to boot, and currently holds a 609-358 all-time record. She became the program's all-time winningest coach in 2016, also against the Bonnies, and has a 145-87 record with the Rams. While with three different schools in the A-10 over her career, she also has the second-most conference wins, 177, but is behind George Washington's Joe McKeown by 63.
 
20 Wins
Last year's Rams finished 24-10, the fifth-most wins in a single year in school history. It was the second consecutive year Fordham has finished with 20 or more wins and the fifth time under Coach Gaitley since 2011-12. The program has only ever had 10 20-win seasons: three with Kathy Mosolino (1977-80), one under Christina Wielgus (1991-92), and one under Kevin Morris (1993-94). It was Gaitley's 17th time winning 20 games or more in her 32-year career.
 
Top-15 Ranked Defense
Gaitley's Rams are known for their stout defense and last year was no different. Fordham allowed just 56.1 points per game to opponents, which ranked 15th in the country. The Rams allowed just 13 60-point games and held an 11-0 record when opponents scored below 50 points. Two big reasons why was holding opponents to just 29.7% shooting from behind the arc, one of the lowest marks in the country, and outrebounding foes by a margin of 6.6 boards per contest. Under Gaitley, the Rams have been a top-50 defense in all seven seasons and have finished within the top-20 in half of them.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
No stat better represents the Gaitley-infused defense than Fordham's 56-5 record when holding opponents under 50 points during her tenure. Two Januarys ago, 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. Since that streak ended, the Rams have rattled off 14 such wins. Fordham is 21-1 in its last 22 contests with rivals scoring under 50 points.
 
This Is Our House
Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams hold an 87-28 (75.6%) record at home across 115 contests. Over the last three seasons, the Rams are 32-7 in the Bronx, including a 13-3 mark in conference play. Last year, Fordham finished 15-3 at home overall and 6-2 in league action. On the flip side, including last year's 9-6 mark, Gaitley's Rams are 58-60 (49.2%) on the road or on neutral ground during her tenure.
 
Got a Minute?
Senior co-captain Lauren Holden set a new Fordham record with 1,333 minutes played last year, which ranked fourth in the country and second in a per-game basis (39.2). Holden went the distance on 21 separate occasions last year, including two 50-minute efforts. Aside from two blowout wins and 33 minutes against Northern Colorado due to foul trouble, Holden played at least 35 minutes in every contest and at least 39 in 23. A starter midway through her freshman year, Holden became the 15th Ram to surpass 3,000 career minutes, now up to 3,291 for her career, which ranks 10th all-time. Bre Cavanaugh, meanwhile, was right alongside her with the second-most minutes played in a single season, finishing with 1,306 minutes played and 38.4 per game, ranked ninth and sixth, respectively.
 
Holden Ascending the All-Time Ranks
Having played the 10th-most minutes in Fordham history, it's not surprise to see Lauren Holden's name already in the record book. The Cape May, N.J. native's lone three last Friday night broke a tie for seventh all-time with Becky Peters ('12), while her 84.2% career rate from the free-throw line sits fifth. She is also on pace to become the 21st member of the program's 1,000-point club, currently at 853, as well as enter the top-five for games played and stated, currently at 101 and 86, respectively.
 
Gaitley's 3-and-D Rams
Under Coach Gaitley, the Rams have finished within the top-50 in scoring defense in all seven seasons and within the top-25 in four of those. Her Rams have also tallied the top four three-point totals in school history, with last year's 186 ranking fourth all-time. The record is 244 set by the Atlantic 10 championship-winning team of 2013-14.
 
Bre's 37-Point Night
Bre Cavanaugh set a Fordham freshman record in double overtime at Saint Louis, dropping 37 points on 12-of-30 shooting, 5-of-8 from three-point range, and hitting all eight of her free throw attempts, all over 48 of 50 possible minutes. The 37 points ended up being a season-high among all Atlantic 10 players. Cavanaugh became just the third freshman to ever tally multiple 30-point games, along with Fordham Hall of Famers Anne Gregory O'Connell, Sharon Nast, and Jeanine Radice. In fact, only six players have ever had multiple 30-point performances in a single campaign. Both Cavanaugh's 12 field goals and five triples were both season-highs as were her 30 attempts, the latter also leading the conference last year. The Allamuchy, N.J. native scored the final eight points for Fordham in regulation, including clutch free throws with 10 seconds left to tie the game up, and eight more points in overtime.
 
60 is the Magic Number?
Fordham is 32-3 over its last two-plus seasons when scoring 60 points or more, including a 16-3 mark a year ago and 1-0 start to this season. After scoring at or under 55 points across the first six contests last season, the Rams rattled off 21 games with at least 60 points over their final 28 games.
 
Career Milestone Watch
- Bre Cavanaugh is one field goal away from 200
- Bre Cavanaugh is 28 three-pointers away from 100
- Bre Cavanaugh is seven steals away from 50
- Bre Cavanaugh is 17 rebounds away from 200
- Mary Goulding is 36 points away from 400
- Mary Goulding is 24 rebounds away from 300
- Mary Goulding is nine assists away from 100
- Mary Goulding is three steals away from 50
- Lauren Holden is 50 points away from 900
- Lauren Holden is 43 three-pointers away from 200
- Lauren Holden is 15 starts away from 100
- Lauren Holden is 49 minutes away from 3,300
 
Up Next
Fordham will spend Thanksgiving weekend down in Florida competing at the Gulf Coast Showcase. The Rams will play Ball State next Friday at 11 a.m. to kick off the tournament and will play either Duke or Washington in the next round. Fordham will also play a third game on Sunday.