Women's Basketball Hosts Rhode Island in A-10 Championship First Round

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Bronx, N.Y. – The 2017-18 regular season has came to a close on Saturday but seeds 3-14 have just three days to prepare for the Atlantic 10 Championship, which under the new format has higher seeds hosting first-round contests at their respective campuses. The Rams (21-8, 12-4 A-10), as the #3 seed,  will host #14 Rhode Island (3-26, 1-15 A-10) on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. with the winner advancing to Richmond and the quarterfinals.
 
Last Time Out vs. Saint Joseph's
Saturday afternoon's buzzer-beating 52-50 loss to the Hawks was Fordham's third home loss of the season and second in league action. The two conference home losses were decided by a combined three points. The Rams started the game out 3-of-17 from the field but played its usual style of tough defense to keep within striking distance of the visiors. Saint Joseph's outscored Fordham, 10-7, in the first quarter and, 15-12, in the second, with the 15 points representing a game-high for the Hawks, who took a 25-19 lead into halftime. The Rams were improved in the third frame, started the second half with a 12-4 run to retake the lead. However, the Hawks regained their composure and were able to snatch the lead away towards the end of the period through top scorer Chelsea Woods, who finished with a game-high 24. From that point on, the two teams traded blows until the final seconds. G'mrice Davis was fouled with 20 seconds to go and hit both of free throws but Woods, who had scored her team's previous five points, sank a layup with one second on the clock to put Saint Joseph's ahead.
 
Davis finished with her second straight double-double, posting 19 points and 12 boards, plus a block and two steals for a second straight game, as well. Bre Cavanaugh bounced back with 17 points and eight rebounds, which tied her season-high. The Rams shot 31.9% for the game overall as the Hawks shot 39.3%.
 
Series History vs. Rhode Island
The (Rhode Island) Rams hold a 19-17 all-time series advantage since 1981. Rhody won the first five meetings, once that year and again the next, before the series became a rivalry with Fordham joining the Atlantic 10 in 1995-96. Fordham has rattled of three straight wins and eight of its last nine dating back to 2010. Earlier this month, Fordham defeated Rhody, 76-64, in the Bronx. G'mrice Davis led the way with 22 points and 15 rebounds (seven offensive), two dimes, two blocks, and a steal over 39 minutes, while Bre Cavanaugh went for 20 points, five boards, four assists, and a whopping seven steals, second-most in a single game in program history. Rhode Island's Nicole Jorgensen enjoyed a career game with 35 points on 17-of-22 shooting from the floor in just 29 minutes.
 
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 1,426 career points, having just passed Nicole Williams ('92) for fifth all-time. Meanwhile, with Davis' 14th and final rebound at VCU on January 14, 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 863 boards away from tying her, though.
 
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 605-354 all-time record.
 
20 Wins
With their 66-45 win over La Salle, the Rams reached 20 wins for a second consecutive campaign and a fifth time since Stephanie Gaitley became head coach. In fact, the Fordham women's basketball 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), and Gaitley has five of them. This is Gaitley's 17th time winning 20 games or more in her 32-year career.
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Top-20 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 28th after allowing a season-high 79 points in regulation at Dayton last Sunday. After holding the Dukes to 43 and Hawks to 52, they are now back in the top 20 at 19th. The Rams have allowed just 11 60-point games this season and have a 10-0 record when opponents score below 50. All other opponents this season have scored between 33 and 59 points, with just 13 of its 29 opponents reaching the 55-point barrier. Opponents are shooting 40.1% from the field but just 29.3% from behind the arc, ranked second in-conference and 64th 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 Second 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, where they sit now after a three-game win streak got them to 60th but Saturday's loss bumped them back down. Only Dayton (31st) is ahead in-conference. This year, Fordham has wins over Northern Colorado (37th), UC Davis (58th), St. John's (70th), Duquesne (73rd), George Washington (95th), and George Mason (104th), and played Dayton, Penn State (87th) and Albany (79th) tight, while holding UCLA (10th) to its eighth-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 10.2 defensive boards per contest, second with 13.6 rebounds per game, and fourth with 366 total boards. The senior's 24 double-doubles ranks third in the country, as well. Davis has tallied at least 11 points, 11 rebounds, and one steal in all but eight contests this year. Her 13.6 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 1,136 career rebounds, behind Stephanie Mavunga of Ohio State (1,182) and ahead of South Carolina's A'Ja Wilson (1,116). Davis' 54 career double-doubles are currently most among all active players, ahead of Iowa's Megan Gustafson and George Mason's Natalie Butler, who have 53.
 
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 23rd in Division I with just 14.2 personal fouls per game, and 36th with 413 total fouls. The former ranks first in the conference, the latter second At the free throw line, the Rams convert on 76.1% of their attempts, which currently ranks joint-third all-time in program history with last year's team, and sits first in-conference and 24th 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 (164th) but has a rebounding margin of +7.2, which ranks 30th in the country, thanks to holding opponents to just 30.5 boards per game. Foes are also shooting just 29.3% from behind the arc, which ranks 64th in the country. The Rams have done better at taking care of the ball, too, with just 13.8 turnovers per game, ranked 65th overall.
 
Lauren Holden ranks second in all of Division I in minutes played per game, at 39.2, and second in total minutes at 1,136. The junior guard played all 50 minutes twice this year (at St. John's and at Saint Louis), and has gone the distance in 17 of 29 games this season. Aside from outings of 29, 33, and 34 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 fifth and 32nd, respectively, at 38.4 and 36.9 minutes. Both Cavanaugh and Davis rank within the top-140 in points per game, at 133rd and 117th, respectively. They are also within the top-115 in field goals attempts, at 56th and 111th, respectively, with 429 and 401, while Davis sits 78th in the country, and second in the A-10, with 182 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 124. That number ranks 46th nationally as does her 83.8% shooting clip.
 
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 38.4 minutes per game ranks first among all freshmen and her 83.8% free-throw clip ranks fourth. Cavanaugh has attempted the fifth-most free throws (148) and hits the second-most, with 124. She's also ranked third with 479 total points and 429 field goal attempts, fifth with 152 field goals, and seventh in three-point attempts (184).
 
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 13 wins dating back to last February. Fordham was 10-1 last year overall when holding opponents under 50 points and are now 10-0 this season, including three of the last four opponents at or below 45.
 
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 55.7 points per game, which ranks 19th in the country.
 
Keys to Winning
Fordham has its fifth 20-win campaign under Stephanie Gaitley and 10th ever in program history. Over those 21 wins, the Rams are outscoring opponents 63.0 to 51.6, a margin of 11.4. Part of the team's success can be attributed to wide disparities in rebounding (38.6 to 28.6) and shooting from the field. Fordham converts on 42.3% of its overall shots and 33.3% from behind the arc, while holding opponents to 37.8% and 25.9%, respectively. G'mrice Davis leads the way with 17.6 points on 48.3% shooting and 14.0 rebounds, plus 12 blocks and 27 steals. Bre Cavanaugh adds 16.0 points, 44 assists, and 27 steals. Lauren Holden, with 11.2, and Mary Goulding, with 9.5, are next in scoring. Holden is shooting 40.3% from behind the arc in wins while Goulding hits 47.2% of her two-point shots. Johanna Klug has been super- efficient in wins, as well, with 61.8% shooting on limited looks (89 attempts), while averaging 6.3 points and 3.9 rebounds, while adding 12 blocks.
 
Conference Play
Three of the Rams' four conference losses have come on a combined nine points, first a one-point loss against Dayton at home, then in double overtime at Saint Louis, and Saturday's two-point loss to Saint Joseph's. Otherwise, Fordham rattled off 12 league victories, six at home and six on the road, to tie the program record. Coach Gaitley used an eight-player rotation in league action that included five freshmen. Across the Rams' 16 games, Bre Cavanaugh led the way with 18.1 points per contest, ranked joint-fourth in the league, on 34.8% shooting, 26.8% from downtown, and 85.4% from the free-throw line across 39.0 minutes per game. The redshirt freshman also led the squad with 21 steals, is second with 32 assists, and was third with 4.8 rebounds per contest. G'mrice Davis' 7.1 field goals per league game were joint-most in conference action. The senior forward averaged 17.9 points and 13.7 rebounds with 30 assists, and a team-high 10 blocks and 20 thefts. Lauren Holden averaged 10.9 points per game on 41.1% overall shooting and a team-best 43.9% from behind the arc, while Mary Goulding chipped in 8.4 points and 5.9 boards. Johanna Klug, who started all 16 games, led the way with a 50.8% clip from the field on limited efforts (59). Zara Jillings, who has started six contests, shot 47.6% and was joint-second with 32 dimes, while Kendell Heremaia added 11 three-pointers on 37.9% shooting. As a team, Fordham outscored opponents 62.7 to 56.5 and held superior percentages aside from overall shooting: 34.0% to 31.6% from deep and 77.4% to 76.8% at the line, but 40.1% to 41.0% in favor of opponents. The Rams controlled the glass, as well, 37.9 to 30.0.
 
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 13-3 thus far in the Bronx, including a 6-2 mark in conference play. Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams hold a 84-27 (75.7%) record at home across 111 contests. On the flip side, including this year's 8-5 mark, Gaitley's Rams are 57-57 (50.0%) on the road or on neutral ground during her tenure.
 
Improved from Downtown
The Rams have been much improved from behind the arc over their last seven games (4-3 record), shooting 37.4% as a team during that stretch. Lauren Holden has been particularly potent, hitting 50.0% of her long-range efforts (17-of-34), while Mary Goulding has shot 40.0% and Kendell Heremaia converts at a 33.3% clip. The 22 games before this current stretch, the Rams were hitting just 29.3% of their attempts from deep.
 
G's Double-Doubles
G'mrice Davis moved past Ohio State's Stephanie Mavunga for most active career double-doubles in Division I, with 54. The senior forward has 24 this season out of 27 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 58 of 120 career contests and has scored at least 10 points in 75 games. In her senior campaign, thus far, Davis has failed to record double-digit rebounds just three times (nine vs. Bucknell, eight vs. UCLA, and nine vs. La Salle), and failed to reach double figure points just once (seven vs. UCLA). Before pulling down just nine boards against the Explorers, she had fired off 13 straight double-doubles, which was tied for the 11th-longest streak in NCAA history.
 
Got a Minute?
Junior tri-captain Lauren Holden ranks second in the country with 39.1 minutes played per contest, and is second with 1,136 total minutes played. She has gone the distance on 16 separate occasions this season, including two separate 50-minute efforts. Aside from two blowout wins and 33 minutes against Northern Colorado due to foul trouble Holden has played at least 35 minutes in every game and at least 39 in 19. 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-35 nationally in minutes played, with 38.4 and 36.9, ranked fifth and 32nd, respectively. Davis' 3,371 career minutes ranks eighth all-time, while Holden's 2,984 sits 16th. 
 
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 145 career triples. She is 10 away from passing Becky Peters ('12) for seventh all-time. Holden's 83.3% 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' 1,095 rebounds, 358 have come on the offensive glass, or just under one third of the time (32.7%). For the season, Davis has 91, Goulding has 54, Klug has 47, and Jillings and Cavanaugh each have 30. More than one-third of Jillings' boards come on the offensive end (30-of-72 - 41.7%). Three others have between 12 and 17. Fordham outrebounds its opponents on the offensive glass, 358-234.
 
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. Gaitley has amassed 141 victories in the Bronx, an average of 20 per campaign, and the second-most of any of her stops during 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 recently claimed her 600th win on January 25 against St. Bonaventure, yet again hitting a milestone with a big margin and an opponent under 50 points (72-48). She now has a career 605-354 record and the second-most overall wins among active A-10 coaches, behind Saint Louis' Lisa Stone, who has 609. She does hold the second-most in-conference wins by any Atlantic 10 coach, with 177, between Fordham and Saint Joseph's, but is 63 behind Joe McKeown's record of 240 that he accumulated during his 17 years with George Washington from 1989 to 2008.
 
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 last 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 is second on the team with 38 steals.
 
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 four games, including 10 20-plus point efforts and two 30-point explosions. The Allamuchy, N.J. native ranks fifth in the country with 38.4 minutes played per game and has gone the distance 11 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 three games (at Richmond, at Dayton, and at Duquesne), two in 13 games, thrice with three, one with four, and recently a season-high five at Saint Louis. She's turned her game up a notch during league action, as well, averaging 18.2 points per contest, ranked joint-fourth in the league. She's doing that on 35.3% shooting overall and 84.8% from the line, with a 32/25 assist/turnover ratio.
 
Cavanaugh among Fordham Rookies
Cavanaugh's current 16.5 points per game pace is the second-highest among freshman, behind Hall of Famers Anne Gregory O'Connell (22.0 in 1976-77), her 479 overall points are the second-most behind Gregory O'Connell and ahead of Jeanine Radice, and her 124 free throws made are also second behind just Gregory O'Connell's historic freshman season with 176 free throws. She also ranks first with 1,113 minutes, third 152 field goals, and third with 51 three-pointers. Her 83.8% free-throw rate is second-highest and she's also the seventh rookie to start at least 29 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 17 of their last 22 contests, and have an 14-3 record in such games.
 
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' 44 dimes on the year ranks fifth in the squad but has 32 helpers in conference play.
 
Career Milestone Watch
- Bre Cavanaugh is 21 points away from 500
- Bre Cavanaugh is 48 field goals away from 200
- Bre Cavanaugh is 49 three-pointers away from 100
- Bre Cavanaugh is 26 free throws away from 150
- Bre Cavanaugh is 11 steals away from 50
- Bre Cavanaugh is 37 minutes away from 1,150
- G'mrice Davis is 24 points away from 1,450
- G'mrice Davis is 14 rebounds away from 1,150
- G'mrice Davis is 19 offensive rebounds away from 300
- G'mrice Davis is 37 field goals away from 600
- G'mrice Davis is three blocks away from 50
- G'mrice Davis is 29 minutes away from 3,400
- Mary Goulding is 22 points away from 300
- Mary Goulding is 15 rebounds away from 250
- Mary Goulding is 20 assists away from 100
- Mary Goulding is 26 minutes away from 1,150
- Lauren Holden is 14 points away from 800
- Lauren Holden is five three-pointers away from 150
- Lauren Holden is 16 assists away from 200
- Lauren Holden is 16 minutes away from 3,000
- Lauren Holden is seven 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. 
 
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 winner of Tuesday night's contest will advanced to the quarterfinals in Richmond to take on either Saint Joseph's or VCU on Friday, March 2, at 7 p.m.