Women's Basketball Opens 2018-19 Campaign Against Wagner Friday Night

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team begins its 2018-19 campaign on Friday night inside the Rose Hill Gymnasium, welcoming Wagner College (0-1) to the Bronx for the first time since 1999.
 
As will be the case all season long with non-nationally televised contests, the game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and can be listened to on WFUV 90.7 FM via the links above. Fans can also follow along with the action via live stats and in-game Twitter updates.
 
2017-18 Season Review
Last year's Rams matched the program's longest-ever postseason run, reaching the Sweet Sixteen of the WNIT, and finished with a 24-10 record, the fifth-most victories in a single season. Buoyed by two 500-point scorers for the first time in school history, the Rams finished third in the Atlantic 10 with a 12-4 record, matching the 2013 squad for conference wins, and defeated Harvard and Drexel in the first two rounds of the WNIT. G'mrice Davis became the program's first All-American by averaging a double-double for a second consecutive season, finishing third in the country with 13.4 rebounds per game to go with her 16.5 points per contest. Davis' 27 double-doubles ranked fourth in Division I and Davis graduated atop the active leaderboard for career double-doubles. If not for Anne Gregory O'Connell's historic rookie campaign in 1976-77, Bre Cavanaugh would've shattered every Fordham freshman record. The Allamuchy, N.J. native waited two years to officially play at the collegiate level and, once she did, she was a force, leading the Rams with 17.0 points per game. Among freshman nationally, Cavanaugh's 38.4 minutes per game ranked first, as did her 145 free throws, while her 84.8% free-throw rate, 578 points, and 500 field goal attempts all ranked second.
 
2018-19 Season Preview
This year's Rams, like last season's edition, are one of the youngest in the country, with 13 underclassmen among 16 total players. The program's first-ever All-American, G'mrice Davis, has left to join the professional ranks but she, and two others, are replaced by six new faces, including graduate transfer Alexa Giuliano and four true freshmen. Cavanaugh has been predicted to be a member of the All-Conference First Team as the Rams will rely on their redshirt sophomore and senior co-captains Mary Goulding and Lauren Holden. Coach Gaitley has called this year's nonconference schedule the toughest she's had since taking over the program.  
 
Last Time Out
Fordham defeated NYIT, 75-54, in an exhibition last Saturday night. The Bears scored the game's first points but trailed the rest of the way following a Kendell Heremaia three-pointer that put the hosts up for good. Freshman Kaitlyn Downey made her unofficial Rams debut and led all scorers with 18 points in 18 minutes, shooting 5-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-4 from behind the arc, and 6-of-7 from the charity stripe, to go with five boards, two steals, a block, and an assist. Cavanaugh played a team-high 31 minutes and chipped in 11 points, five boards, two assists, and a steal. Seniors Mary Goulding and Lauren Holden each scored eight points, the former posted a team-high 11 rebounds, four on the offensive glass, three steals, and two assists. Redshirt freshman Vilisi Tavui came off the bench for eight points and eight boards in 15 minutes, adding a steal and a block.
 
Series History vs. Wagner
The Rams hold an all-time 10-7 series lead dating all the way back to 1971 in the program's first year of existence. Wagner won that match-up, 26-24, and the first four contests of the fledgling rivalry. The two schools met 10 times in the 1970s and five times in the following decade before a nine-year break. Wagner has won the two most recent meetings, in 1998 on Staten Island and in the Bronx in 1999, the latter a tight 61-58 result.
 
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. Read more about the poll 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 608-356 all-time record. She became the program's all-time winningest coach in 2016, also against the Bonnies, and has a 144-86 record with the Rams. With three different schools in the A-10 over her career, she also has the second-most wins ever in league history, 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 15^th 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 86-27 (76.1%) record at home across 113 contests. Over the last two seasons, the Rams are 31-6 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 58-59 (49.6%) 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 15^th Ram to surpass 3,000 career minutes, now up to 3,181 for her career, which is tied with Kathryn McCabe ('99) for 10^th 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 10^th-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 155 career three-pointers are tied with Becky Peters ('12) for seventh-most all-time, while her 83.8% career rate from the free-throw line sits sixth. She is also on pace to become the 21^st member of the program's 1,000-point club, currently at 836, as well as enter the top-five for games played and stated, currently at 98 and 83, 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 31-3 over its last two seasons when scoring 60 points or more, including a 16-3 mark a year ago. 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 17 field goals away from 200
- Bre Cavanaugh is 33 three-pointers away from 100
- Bre Cavanaugh is five free throws away from 150
- Bre Cavanaugh is nine steals away from 50
- Mary Goulding is 72 points away from 400
- Mary Goulding is two rebounds away from 250
- Mary Goulding is 15 assists away from 100
- Mary Goulding is six minutes away from 1,300
- Mary Goulding is six steals away from 50
- Lauren Holden is 64 points away from 900
- Lauren Holden is 45 three-pointers away from 200
- Lauren Holden is two appearances away from 100
- Lauren Holden is 19 minutes away from 3,200
 
Up Next
The Rams have a short turnaround for their first road contest of the new season, traveling up to Boston to face Northeastern on Sunday afternoon with a 1 p.m. tip.