Women's Basketball Hosts La Salle on Play4Kay Night

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (19-6, 10-2 A-10) is down to its final four games of the regular season and currently tied with Duquesne for second place in the fight for a first-round bye at the 2018 Atlantic 10 Championship. The Rams' final two road contests are next Sunday at league-leading Dayton and then the Dukes three days later, but first they must host La Salle (8-17, 3-9 A-10) on Tuesday night in the team's annual Play4Kay event.
 
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Tragedy struck the Bronx community on December 28 when lives were lost during a large blaze at a local apartment building. HOT 97 has partnered with WBLS' Hip Hop Has Heart and Heart & Soul Foundation to raise money for the victims' families. You can donate HERE.
 
Upcoming Promotions
National Girls and Women in Sports Day/Girl Scout Day/Breast Cancer Awareness Day - 2/13/18 @ 7pm – Join us for our annual Play4Kay Breast Cancer Awareness contest, where we'll also be celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day and Girl Scout Day. Several student-athletes of the women's sports at Fordham will be in attendance to run stations next to the court, teaching kids about their respective sports, playing games and activities, and helping kids make their own posters.
 
All Girl Scouts in attendance will receive a Fordham Women's Basketball Patch. Discount tickets can be purchased online with promo code gscout18.
 
Senior Day - 2/24/18 @ 2PM - Please join us as we celebrate our seniors for all they have done the past four years!
 
Harry's Hustlers Youth Groups – Coach Gaitley established Harry's Hustlers in honor of her late father, Harry Vanderslice, which allows a different youth group to be the team's special guests for a game. Guests will attend the contest for free, will get special seating directly behind the Fordham bench, and get to participate in the high-five tunnel during player introductions. All those in attendance will receive a Harry's Hustlers t-shirt. Must be 8^th grade or younger. For more information on participating, please contact Clare Berenato at cberenato@fordham.edu.
 
Last Time Out at Davidson
Fordham used big first and fourth quarters to propel past Davidson in an otherwise tricky and defensive battle on Saturday. The Rams equaled their 5-1 home conference record with the win, the team's eighth this season when holding an opponent under 50 points. In those two periods, Fordham held the Wildcats to just 10 points while scoring 20 and 18, respectively. The two schools traded blows over the initial minutes before G'mrice Davis' and-one opened the floodgates on a 15-0 run until Davidson stopped the bleeding and rallied to get within five at halftime, 29-24. Though the Rams started the second half well to go up nine, the Wildcats again went on a run, this time with eight unaswered points, to cut the deficit to just one. However, again, Fordham was able to stop the rally in its tracks and then steadily built up its lead to double figures to see out the result.
 
Bre Cavanaugh led the way with 19 points on 7-of-22 shooting, with two threes, two boards, two steals, and a new high of two blocks. G'mrice Davis grabbed 21 rebounds, matching her personal-best, among 49 team rebounds (20 coming on the offensive glass), and added two blocks and three steals. Lauren Holden chipped in 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from behind the arc, matching her career-high of long-range makes, while Mary Goulding added 10 points.
 
Series History vs. La Salle
The Explorers hold a 34-13 all-time series lead over Fordham dating back to the 1983-84 season. La Salle won the first 14 contests in the series until Fordham's 73-65 victory in the Bronx in January, 1990. After that, the Explorers fired off nine wins over the next 10, including seven of the first eight meetings once both teams entered the A-10 in 1995. The Explorers continued to hold serve until Coach Gaitley took over in 2011-12. La Salle won both home and away that first year but the Rams have rattled off five straight since, inclduing a thrilling 66-61 double overtime win in Philadelphia a year ago.
 
Davis Becomes Second Ram to Reach 1,000 Career Points and Rebounds
G'mrice Davis scored her 1,000th point with her first basket at Albany on November 19, the 20th Ram to ever reach the feat. She has steadily risen up the all-time scoring list and recently joined the all-time top-10. The Philadelphia native sits on 1,354 career points, having just passed Denise Hammersley ('95) for sixth all-time. Meanwhile, with Davis' 14th and final rebound at VCU, she reached the 1,000 rebound milestone, as well, becoming the second Ram to accomplish both feats, alongside Fordham Hall of Famer Anne Gregory O'Connell. However, Davis is still 914 boards away from tying her.
 
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 Fordham, 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, on her birthday, to boot, and currently holds a 603-352 all-time record across 32 seasons.
 
Top-25 Ranked Defense
Stephanie Gaitley's Rams have spent the majority of this season in the top-10 nationally in scoring defense, as high as fourth and as low as 22nd, but currently rank 21st with 55.8 points allowed per game this season. The Rams have allowed just 10 60-point games this season, holding a 6-4 record in said games, and have an 8-0 record when opponents score below 50. All other opponents this season have scored between 33 and 59 points, with just 12 of its 25 opponents reaching the 55-point barrier. Opponents are shooting 40.1% from the field but just 28.6% from behind the arc, ranked first in-conference and 44th 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 them.
 
Rams Third in A-10 in RPI
The Rams began at 65th in the initial NCAA RPI and hovered for a few weeks between there and 59th. The one-point loss to Dayton dropped them down to 72nd before bouncing back to 65th after three straight wins. The Rams currently sit at 69th. Both Dayton (39th) and Duquesne (55th) are ahead in-conference. This year, Fordham has wins over Northern Colorado (31st), St. John's (54th), UC Davis (57th),  George Washington (95th), Saint Louis (103rd), and George Mason (111th), and played Dayton, Albany (74th) and Penn State (83rd) tight, and held UCLA (10th) to its fourth-lowest scoring output on the year. St. John's was ranked 12th at the time of their meeting.
 
One of the Nation's Top Rebounders
G'mrice Davis, the nation's returning leading rebounder, hasn't missed a beat, ranked second in all of Division I with 10.5 defensive boards per contest, second with 13.7 rebounds per game, and fifth with 315 total boards. The senior's 21 double-doubles ranks third in the country, as well. Davis has tallied at least 11 points, 12 rebounds, and one steal in all but seven contests this year. Her 13.7 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. Among active Division I players, Davis is second with 1,085 career rebounds, behind Stephanie Mavunga of Ohio State (1,151) and just ahead of Rebekah VanDijk of Texas-Arlington (1,072). Davis' 51 career double-doubles are currently tied for most among active players with Mavunga. Iowa's Megan Gustafson is just behind, with 50.
 
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 21st in Division I with just 14.4 personal fouls per game, and 42nd with 361 total fouls. The former ranks first in the conference, the latter second. At the free throw line, the Rams convert on 75.5% of their attempts, ranked tops in the A-10 and 36th in the country. Part of the team's success on defense comes from limiting opposing rebounds and three-point shooting. Fordham grabs just 37.8 rebounds per contest (163rd) but has a rebounding margin of +7.5, which ranks 30th in the country, thanks to holding opponents to just 30.3 boards per game. Foes are also shooting just 28.6% from behind the arc, which ranks 44th in the country. The Rams have done better at taking care of the ball, too, with just 14.0 turnovers per game, ranked 64th overall.
 
Lauren Holden ranks second in Division I in minutes played per game, at 39.4, and second in total minutes at 985. The junior guard played all 50 minutes twice this year (at St. John's and at Saint Louis), and has gone the distance in 15 of 25 games this season. Aside from outings of 29 and 33 minutes, the junior has played at least 36 minutes in every game. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis have also been asked to log heavy minutes this year, ranked seventh and 26th, respectively, at 38.5 and 37.2 minutes. Both Cavanaugh and Davis rank within the top-125 in points per game, at 111th and 124th, respectively. They are also within the top-100 in field goals attempts, at 45th and 99th, respectively, with 377 and 341, while Davis sits 82nd in the country, and third in the A-10, with 155 field goals to-date. Cavanaugh has been excellent from the line, hitting the second-most free throws by a Fordham rookie in the program's history, with 107. That number ranks 44th nationally, while her 83.6% shooting clip sits 55th.
 
Cavanaugh Among Freshmen Nationally
Bre Cavanaugh already ranks within the top-100 and top-150 overall in several categories thanks to a fantastic debut campaign in maroon and white but among her rookie colleagues, she is at or near the top of those lists. Her 38.5 minutes per game ranks first among all freshmen as does her 83.6% free-throw percentage, tied with Northwestern's Lindsey Pulliam. Cavanaugh has attempted the seventh-most free throws (127) but is second with 107 makes. She's also ranked third with 429 total points and 377 field goal attempts, fifth with 137 field goals, and seventh in three-point attempts (167).
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
A staple of the Gaitley-led Rams is defense, and no stat better represents that than Fordham's 56-5 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. Since that streak ended, the Rams have rattled off 12 wins dating back to last February. Fordham was 10-1 last year overall when holding opponents under 50 points and are now 8-0 this season, just missing out on two more against the Colonials and Minutewomen, who scored late baskets in the final seconds, with Rhode Island's 45 points last Thursday being the most recent.
 
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 55.8 points per game, which ranks 21st in the country.
 
Keys to Winning
Fordham is on the cusp of a fifth 20-win campaign under Stephanie Gaitley and 10th ever in program history. Over those 19 wins, the Rams are outscoring opponents 63.4 to 52.4, a margin of 11.1. Part of the team's success can be attributed to wide disparities in rebounding (38.5 to 28.5) and shooting from the field. Fordham converts on 42.6% of its overall shots and 33.5% from behind the arc, while holding opponents to 38.2% and 25.6%, respectively. G'mrice Davis leads the way with 17.4 points on 47.7% shooting and 13.9 rebounds, plus 11 blocks and 22 steals. Bre Cavanaugh adds 16.6 points, 39 assists, and a team-high 26 steals. Both Lauren Holden (10.8) and Mary Goulding (10.4) are in double figures, as well, with the former hitting 40.0% of her three-point attempts, and the latter hitting 48.7% of her two-point shots. Johanna Klug has been super efficient in wins, as well, with 64.2% shooting on limited looks (81 attempts), while averaging 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds, while adding 11 blocks.
 
Conference Play
The Rams' two conference losses have come in thrilling, yet heartbreaking fashion, first with a one-point loss to Dayton at home and then in double overtime at Saint Louis. Otherwise, Fordham has rattled off 10 league victories, with identical 5-1 records on the road and at home. Coach Gaitley has used an eight-player rotation in league action that includes five freshmen. Across the Rams' 12 games, Bre Cavanaugh is leading the way with an even 20.0 points per contest, ranked second in the league, on 36.3% shooting, 28.4% from downtown, and 85.5% from the free-throw line across 39.4 minutes per game. The redshirt freshman also leads the squad with 17 steals, is third with 27 assists, and is third with 4.3 rebounds per contest. Her 6.4 field goals per contest are fifth-most. G'mrice Davis' 7.2 field goals per league game is joint-tops with Davidson's Mackenzie Latt. The senior forward is averaging 17.9 points and 14.1 rebounds with 25 assists, a team-high eight blocks, and 11 thefts. Lauren Holden is averaging 11.2 points per game on 43.1% overall shooting and 44.1% from behind the arc, while Mary Goulding is chipping in 10.7 points and 6.9 boards. Holden leads the squad with 31 assists, while Goulding has been very efficient from the field, hitting 46.2% of all shots and 54.2% of her two-point shots. Johanna Klug, who's started all 12 games, leads the way with a 59.0% clip on limited efforts (39). Zara Jillings, who has started six contests, is shooting 48.7% and is second with 28 dimes. As a team, Fordham is outscoring opponents 65.2 to 57.2 with percentages mostly even across the board. The Rams and their opponents are each shooting 41.5% from the field, but Fordham has been superior behind the arc (34.3% to 30.7%) and at the charity stripe (76.7% to 76.3%). On the glass, Fordham holds a 38.2-29.4 advantage. The Rams do have more turnovers (155) than assists (153), but a combined 81 blocks and assists.
 
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 12-2 thus far in the Bronx, including a 5-1 mark in conference play. Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams hold a 83-26 (76.1%) record at home across 109 contests. On the flip side, including this year's 6-4 mark, Gaitley's Rams are 56-56 (50.0%) on the road or on neutral ground during her tenure.
 
Bre for Three-Seven
Bre Cavanaugh set a Fordham freshman record 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 are a new season-high among Atlantic 10 players and are the most ever by a Ram rookie. Cavanaugh is also the third freshman to have 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 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 points in the double overtime period.
 
Cavanaugh's Other Career Night
Cavanaugh previously busted loose for 34 points in the one-point loss to Dayton in mid-January. She did so on 10-of-19 shooting, 4-of-11 from behind the arc, and 10-of-11 from the free throw line, the latter of which still stands as a season-high. Cavanaugh scored 19 in the first half, with 13 coming in the first quarter, on 8-of-14 shooting. In the second half, she took just five shots, hitting two, but did most of her damage from the charity stripe. The 34 points were then the second-most ever by a Ram rookie in a single game, behind Anne Gregory O'Connell's 36 against Cordlandt State in 1976.
 
Bre the Thief
The Allamuchy, N.J. native has done several things this year that no other freshman has ever done but on Sunday against Rhode Island, she did something no player has ever accomplished in Fordham history - tallying seven steals. In the program's history, four different players (Liz McGovern, Mary Hayes, Cami Cass twice, and Lauren Fleischer) have recorded eight in a single game but no one has ever had seven in a single game. Cavanaugh jumped ahead of G'mrice Davis for the team lead with that performance, now with 35 on the year.
 
G's Double-Doubles
G'mrice Davis is tied with Ohio State's Stephanie Mavunga for most active career double-doubles in Division I, with 51. The senior forward has 21 this season out of 23 games after 24 (out of 34 games) a year ago. After failing to record one as a freshman, she tallied six as a sophomore. In her career, Davis has recorded 10 or more rebounds in 55 of 116 contests and has scored at least 10 points in 71 games. In her senior campaign, thus far, Davis has failed to record double-digit rebounds just twice (nine vs. Bucknell, eight vs. UCLA), and failed to reach double figure points just once (seven vs. UCLA). Since, she has fired off 13 straight double-doubles, which is tied for the 11th-longest streak in NCAA history.
 
Got a Minute?
Junior tri-captain Lauren Holden ranks second in the country with 39.4 minutes played per contest, and is second with 985 total minutes played. She has gone the distance on 15 separate occasions this season, including two separate 50-minute efforts. Aside from 29 minutes in a blowout win over Iona and 33 against Northern Colorado due to foul trouble Holden has played at least 35 minutes every game and at least 39 in 17. A starter since midway through her freshman season, Holden passed the 2,500-minute mark against Davidson in mid-January and entered the all-time top-20. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis are also inside the top-30 nationally in minutes played, with 38.5 and 37.2, ranked seventh and 26th, respectively. Davis' 3,232 career minutes ranks 10th all-time, while Holden's 2,833 sits 18th.
 
Holden From Downtown and At the Line
Lauren Holden entered her junior campaign outside of the top-10 for career three-point makes and has since ascended up to eighth on the all-time list, passing Annie Zopf ('09), Monica Mack ('05), and now Arielle Collins ('13), with 139 career triples. She is 16 away from passing Becky Peters ('12) for seventh all-time. Holden's 82.8% conversion rate at the charity stripe, as well, ranks sixth-best in Fordham history.
 
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, hauled in another 19 (compared to 20 defensive) at VCU, 17 more against St. Bonaventure, and another 20 at Davidson. For the season, of the Rams' 946 rebounds, 309 have come on the offensive glass, or just under one third of the time (32.7%). For the season, Davis has 74, Goulding has 46, Klug has 44, Jillings has 30, and Cavanaugh has 23. Klug has just five fewer offensive boards than defensive and more than one-third of Jillings' boards come on the offensive end (30-of-72 - 41.7%). Three others have between 11 and 15. Fordham outrebounds its opponents on the offensive glass, 309-202.
 
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 139 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 603-352 record and has the second-most overall wins among active A-10 coaches, behind Saint Louis' Lisa Stone, who has 607, and has the second-most in-conference wins by any Atlantic 10 coach, with 175, 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.
 
Counting on Cavanaugh
The redshirt freshman waited two years to grace a collegiate basketball court in an official capacity and her hardwork and perseverence has paid off in a big way. Now a four-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, plus Metropolitan Basketball Writers' Association and CollegeSportsMadness.com's Player of the Week, twice each, Cavanaugh has scored in double figures in all but three games (a team-high nine against UCLA, eight points vs. Bucknell in the next game, and a season-low four at Richmond), including 10 20-plus point efforts and two 30-point explosions. The Allamuchy, N.J. native ranks seventh in the country with 38.5 minutes played per game and has gone the distance 10 times, including a stretch of seven straight between UC Davis and Dayton, playing at least 37 minutes in all but four games this year. Cavanugh has hit at least one three-pointer in all but one game (at Richmond), two in 12 games, thrice with three, one with four, and recently a season-high five at Saint Louis. Her 20.0 points per conference contest rank second. She's doing that on 36.3% shooting overall and 85.5% from the line, with a 27/19 assist/turnover ratio.
 
Cavanaugh Among Fordham Rookies
Cavanaugh's current 17.2 points per game pace is the second-highest among freshman, behind Hall of Famers Anne Gregory O'Connell (22.0 in 1976-77), her 429 overall points already ranks fourth, and her 107 free throws made are already second-most behind Liz Kane's mark of 117 in 1986-87. Her 962 minutes, 137 field goals rank sixth, and 48 three-pointers all rank fourth among rookies. Her 83.6% free-throw rate is second-highest. She's also the ninth rookie to start at least 25 contests.
 
Davis, Cavanaugh and Weekly A-10 Awards
G'mrice Davis and Bre Cavanaugh swept the weekly awards for the week of January 8th, named the Atlantic 10 Co-Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively. Davis became Fordham's first-ever back-to-back weekly award winner, while Cavanaugh took home her third of the season. Since then, the redshirt freshman has won another, garnering Rookie of the Week accolades this week after averaging 28.5 points and 4.0 steals. That makes it four for Cavanaugh, one more than Megan Mahoney (2007-08) and just one back of Samantha Clark (2012-13) for most in a single season.
 
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 16 of the last 18 contests, and have an 13-3 record when hitting the 60-point mark.
 
Jillings Dishing It Out
Zara Jillings dished out eight assists against Davidson on January 10, a season-high for all Fordham players. It was also the most in a game since Tiffany Ruffin notched nine at Rhode Island on February 15, 2015, and were the most by a freshman in the last 25 years. Jillings' 40 dimes on the year ranks fifth in the squad but her 28 helpers in conference play are three short of Lauren Holden's team lead. 
 
Career Milestone Watch
- Bre Cavanaugh is 21 points away from 450
- Bre Cavanaugh is 13 field goals away from 150
- Bre Cavanaugh is two three-pointers away from 50
- Bre Cavanaugh is 43 free throw away from 150
- Bre Cavanaugh is four assists away from 50
- Bre Cavanaugh is 15 steals away from 50
- Bre Cavanaugh is 38 minutes away from 1,000
- G'mrice Davis is 46 points away from 1,400
- G'mrice Davis is 15 rebounds away from 1,100
- G'mrice Davis is 36 offensive rebounds away from 300
- G'mrice Davis is 14 field goals away from 550
- G'mrice Davis is 18 free throws away from 300
- G'mrice Davis is five blocks away from 50
- G'mrice Davis is 68 minutes away from 3,300
- Mary Goulding is 39 points away from 300
- Mary Goulding is 42 rebounds away from 250
- Mary Goulding is 31 assists away from 100
- Mary Goulding is two appearances away from 50
- Mary Goulding is one start away from 25
- Mary Goulding is 38 minutes away from 1,000
- Lauren Holden is five points away from 750
- Lauren Holden is 11 three-pointers away from 150
- Lauren Holden is 23 assists away from 200
- Lauren Holden is 67 minutes away from 2,900
- Lauren Holden is one start away from 75
- Lauren Holden is 11 appearances away from 100
 
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 19 times, all coming in 1990 and beyond. Under Stephanie Gaitley, that number is eight, including two this season and Richmond's 38 points being the latest. Northern Colorado and Richmond each came into their respective contests averaging 69 points per game. The Bears' 33 points were the third-lowest by a Fordham opponent all-time.
 
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.
 
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. 
 
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
Fordham takes to the road for its final two road conference contests, first at league-topping Dayton on Sunday, February 18, at 2 p.m., then traveling to Duquesne three days later.