Women's Basketball Hosts Harvard in Opening Round of WNIT

Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (22-9, 12-4 A-10) is in the WNIT for a second consecutive season and a fourth time under head coach Stephanie Gaitley since 2011-12. On Friday night, the Rams will host Harvard (18-10, 10-4 Ivy) at 7 p.m. in one of the last games of the opening round. The winner will advance to play either Drexel or Robert Morris on Sunday.

Promotions
Free pizza and apple pie for all students. At halftime, fans can pie several athletics department staff members in the face for $1, with all proceeds going to Pediatric Cancer Research. The "Pie Panel" includes Director of Athletics Dave Roach, Compliance Assistant Camille Everett, Men's Basketball assistant coach Mike DePaoli, Football assistant coach Ian Pace, Volleyball assistant coach Jake Bluhm, and Queens Court RA Laurel!

To make a donation, please visit Go4TheGoal. Coach Gaitley will match up to $250 raised.
 
Last Time Out vs. Saint Joseph's
Six days after falling, 52-50, at the buzzer at home to Saint Joseph's in the regular season finale, Fordham fell, 52-49, to the Hawks in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship, again at the buzzer on a last-second Sarah Veilleux corner three-pointer. The Rams had held a 20-4 lead midway through the first half but a late Saint Joseph's rally to finish the half bled into Hawks taking the lead in the third. Saint Joseph's outscored the Rams, 18-11, in that third frame but Fordham battled back to knot things up late. The Hawks hadn't hit a three-pointer all game but Veilleux's last-second heave dropped to give them the win.
 
Bre Cavanaugh led the way for Fordham with 17 points, followed by G'mrice Davis with 13, each shooting 5-of-12 from the field. Davis coralled 18 rebounds, as well, to go with a block. Lauren Holden and Mary Goulding combined for 17 points and five three-pointers, each playing all 40 minutes like Cavanaugh. Fordham shot 41.7% from long range (7-of-17) but just 34.0% overall.
 
Series History vs. Harvard
The two schools have met just four times before, with the all-time series tied at 2-2. Harvard took the first two, both in Cambridge, in 1986 and 1990 but Fordham won the following year, 87-77, in the first round of the Clearly Canadian Classic in Providence, R.I. Since, the Rams won, 64-44, in the Bronx in 2013. Harvard came to the Rose Hill Gym for last year's Fordham Holiday Classic but the two schools didn't meet.
 
Davis Named A-10 Defensive Player of the Year
The senior forward anchored the top scoring defense in the Atlantic 10, currently ranked 15th in the country, was second in the league with 10.3 defensive boards and averaged 1.6 steals per contest to become Fordham's first-ever Defensive Player of the Year. Davis repeated as a member of the All-Conference First Team and All-Defense squad after averaging a double-double for a second consecutive season - a team-leading 17.0 points and 13.8 rebounds, the latter ranking second in the nation and third all-time in program history. She is one of four Rams to ever earn multiple and back-to-back First Team nods.
 
Cavanaugh Named Second Team All-Conference
Bre Cavanaugh became just the second Fordham freshman to be named to an All-Conference team in the program's history; the other is Hall of Famer Jeanine Radice in 1985-86 when the Rams were in the MAAC. Cavanaugh has averaged 16.4 points over 38.4 minutes while starting all 31 contests. She finished near the top of several categories among freshmen nationally and in the conference, which you can read about over the next few pages.
 
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 605-355 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.
.
Top-15 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 towards the end of the regular season. Since, the Rams have held Duquesne and Saint Joseph's, twice, at or below 52 points and are back up to 15th in the nation as a result. Fordham has 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 31 opponents reaching the 55-point barrier. Opponents are shooting 39.7% from the field but just 28.5% from behind the arc, ranked first in-conference and 37th 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 Fourth 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. Fordham currently sits 86th overall. Only Dayton (36th), Duquesne (74th), and George Washington (77th) are ahead in-conference. This year, Fordham has wins over Northern Colorado (32nd), UC Davis (73rd), St. John's (75th), Duquesne, George Washington, George Mason (109th), and Saint Louis (119th), and played Dayton, Penn State (93rd) and Albany (83rd) 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. Harvard sits 56th overall.
 
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 10.4 defensive boards per contest, second with 13.8 rebounds per game, and third with 400 total boards. The senior's 26 double-doubles ranks third in the country, as well. Davis has tallied at least 11 points, 11 rebounds, and one steal in all but nine contests this year. Her 13.8 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 1,170 career rebounds, behind Stephanie Mavunga of Ohio State (1,235) and ahead of South Carolina's A'Ja Wilson (1,147). Davis' 56 career double-doubles are currently most among all active players, ahead of Mavunga and George Mason's Natalie Butler, who have 55.
 
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 28th in Division I with just 14.5 personal fouls per game, and 69th with 451 total fouls. The former ranks first in the conference, the latter second At the free throw line, the Rams convert on 76.2% of their attempts, which currently ranks third all-time in program history and sits first in-conference and 27th in the country. Part of the team's success on defense comes from limiting opposing rebounds and three-point shooting. Fordham grabs just 37.9 rebounds per contest (151st) but has a rebounding margin of +7.2, which ranks 31st in the country, thanks to holding opponents to just 30.7 boards per game. Foes are also shooting just 28.5% from behind the arc, which ranks 37th in the country. The Rams have done better at taking care of the ball, too, with just 13.8 turnovers per game, ranked 66th overall.
 
Lauren Holden ranks second in all of Division I in minutes played per game, at 39.1, and third in total minutes at 1,213. The junior guard played all 50 minutes twice this year (at St. John's and at Saint Louis), and has gone the distance in 18 of 31 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 sixth and 42nd, respectively, at 38.4 and 36.8 minutes. Both Cavanaugh and Davis rank within the top-150 in points per game, at 145th and 119th, respectively. They are also within the top-125 in field goals attempts, at 79th and 121st, respectively, with 451 and 427, while Davis sits 91st in the country, and third in the A-10, with 195 field goals to-date. Cavanaugh has been excellent from the line, hitting the second-most free throws by a Fordham rookie and joint-eighth overall in the program's history, with 132. That number ranks 57th nationally, while her 83.5% shooting clip ranks 52nd.
 
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 as does her 132 free throws made. Her 83.5% free-throw clip ranks second. Cavanaugh also has the third-most points (509), fourth-most field goal attempts (451), and fifth-most free-throw attempts (158).
 
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.
 
Fordham in the WNIT
The Rams have made the WNIT four times in program history, all since 2011-12 when Coach Gaitley took over. Since then, Fordham holds a 4-3 all-time record with 2013's journey to the third round being the furthest the team has gone. The Rams defeated Army  and Boston University in the Bronx before falling at James Madison that year. Last year, Fordham rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Georgetown on the road before falling at Penn State two days later.
 
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.
 
G's Double-Doubles
G'mrice Davis moved past Ohio State's Stephanie Mavunga for most active career double-doubles in Division I, with 56. The senior forward has 26 this season out of 29 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 60 of 122 career contests and has scored at least 10 points in 77 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 third with 1,213 total minutes played. She has gone the distance on 17 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 20. A starter since midway through her freshman season, Holden became the 15th Ram to surpass 3,000 minutes, now up to 3,061 for her career, which ranks 13th all-time. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis are also inside the top-50 nationally in minutes played, with 38.4 and 36.8, ranked sixth and 42nd, respectively. Davis' 3,444 career minutes ranks eighth all-time.
 
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 152 career triples. She is three away from passing Becky Peters ('12) for seventh all-time. Holden's 83.6% conversion rate at the charity stripe, as well, ranks sixth-best in Fordham history.
 
Gaitley's 3-and-D Rams
Under head coach Stephanie 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 four of the top-five all-time most three-pointers made in program history, with this year's 168 makes ranking fourth all-time. The record is 244 set by the title-winning team of 2013-14.
 
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' 1,175 rebounds, 380 have come on the offensive glass, or just under one third of the time (32.3%). For the season, Davis has 98, Goulding has 56, Klug has 48, Cavanaugh has 33, and Jillings has 31. More than one-third of Jillings' boards come on the offensive end (31-of-78 - 39.7%). Three others have between 13 and 17. Fordham outrebounds its opponents on the offensive glass, 380-256.
 
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 142 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 606-355 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 16.4 points per game pace is the second-highest among freshman, behind Hall of Famers Anne Gregory O'Connell (22.0 in 1976-77), her 509 overall points are the second-most behind Gregory O'Connell and ahead of Jeanine Radice, and her 132 free throws made are also second behind just Gregory O'Connell's historic freshman season with 176 free throws. She also ranks first with 1,189 minutes, third with 161 field goals, and third with 55 three-pointers. Her 83.5% free-throw rate is second-highest and she's also the fourth rookie to start at least 30 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' 49 dimes on the year ranks fourth in the squad and has 37 helpers since league play began.
 
Career Milestone Watch
- Bre Cavanaugh is 41 points away from 550
- Bre Cavanaugh is 39 field goals away from 200
- Bre Cavanaugh is 45 three-pointers away from 100
- Bre Cavanaugh is 18 free throws away from 150
- Bre Cavanaugh is 11 steals away from 50
- Bre Cavanaugh is 11 minutes away from 1,200
- G'mrice Davis is 38 points away from 1,500
- G'mrice Davis is 30 rebounds away from 1,200
- G'mrice Davis is 12 offensive rebounds away from 300
- G'mrice Davis is 24 field goals away from 600
- G'mrice Davis is six minutes away from 3,450
- G'mrice Davis is three appearances away from 125
- Mary Goulding is seven points away from 300
- Mary Goulding is 17 rebounds away from 250
- Mary Goulding is 18 assists away from 100
- Mary Goulding is seven minutes away from 1,200
- Lauren Holden is 39 points away from 850
- Lauren Holden is 48 three-pointers away from 200
- Lauren Holden is seven assists away from 200
- Lauren Holden is 39 minutes away from 3,100
- Lauren Holden is five 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 Friday night's game will play the winner of Drexel and Robert Morris on Sunday.