Women's Basketball Heads to Drexel for WNIT Second Round

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (23-9, 12-4 A-10) turned a nine-point halftime deficit into a 18-point victory over Harvard on Friday night in the opening round of the WNIT to advance to Sunday's second round contest at Drexel (27-7, 16-2 CAA). The Rams outscored the Crimson, 41-14, in the second half to keep their season alive.
 
Last Time Out vs. Harvard
The Rams took an early 13-12 lead at the first media timeout on a Mary Goulding baseline jumper but fell into a scoring slump for the remainder of the first half, getting outscored 21- 11, the rest of the way to trail, 33-24, at the interval. Fordham turned it around immediately, however, by holding the Crimson to consecutive seven-point quarters and themselves scoring over 20 points in each. Bre Cavanaugh scored 13 points in the third quarter, including a personal 8-0 run in the first five minutes that included a wide-open three-pointer, an andone play, and a coast-to-coast layup following a Johanna Klug steal. Harvard's Taylor Rooks temporarily halted the slide with a three but Lauren Holden answered on the other end with one of her own, which kickstarted a 9-0 run that gave Fordham the lead for good. Goulding's layup at the 4:58 mark of the third period put the Rams ahead, 37-36, with the go-ahead basket. The Crimson hit a three to start the fourth quarter but the Rams defense dug in and held Harvard without a basket on nine attempts over the next seven minutes of a 15-1 run. Holden and Goulding hit 6-of-6 free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

Cavanaugh finished with a game-high 26 points, her third-highest output of the season, on 8-of-19 shooting, 3-of-10 from deep, and 7-of-7 from the charity stripe, while adding seven rebounds and a block over 39 minutes. G'mrice Davis tallied her sixth straight double-double and 27th of her season, with 12 points and 12 rebounds to go with a career-high five assists, plus two steals, over 40 minutes. Goulding and Holden combined for 25 points, as well, with the former hitting a career-best seven free throws on seven attempts and the latter chipping into two three-pointers, three boards, and two steals across 40 minutes.
 
Series History vs. Drexel
The two schools have met just three times before since 1985-86 with Fordham holding a 2-1 all-time record over the Dragons. Fordham Hall of Famer Jeanine Radice made history against Drexel with her program-record 40 points on December 5, 1987, in the opening game of the Lady Rams Classic in the Rose Hill Gym, the last time the two schools met. The only time Fordham has played at Drexel, on March 1, 1986, the Rams fell, 88-83.
 
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 10.4 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 16.8 points and 13.7 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 16.7 points over 38.4 minutes while starting all 32 contests. She currently is at or near the top of several categories among freshmen nationally and in the conference.
 
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 607-355 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.
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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, Saint Joseph's, twice, Rhode Island, and now Harvard at or below 53 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 11-0 record when opponents score below 50. All other opponents this season have scored between 33 and 59 points, with just 13 of its 32 opponents reaching the 55-point barrier. Opponents are shooting 39.6% from the field but just 29.2% from behind the arc, ranked first in-conference and 50th 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. Drexel entered Friday's contest ranked 51st in the country. 
 
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 13.7 rebounds per game, and third with 412 total boards. The senior's 27 double-doubles ranks second 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 13.7 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 1,182 career rebounds, behind Stephanie Mavunga of Ohio State (1,235) and ahead of South Carolina's A'Ja Wilson (1,163). Davis' 57 career double-doubles, however, are currently most among all active players, ahead of George Mason's Natalie Butler, who has 56.
 
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 26th in Division I with just 14.5 personal fouls per game, and 38th with 463 total fouls. The former ranks first in the conference, the latter second. At the free throw line, the Rams are currently matching the 1993-94 squad with a program-record 76.9% clip. That sits first in-conference and 15th 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 (153rd) but has a rebounding margin of +7.3, which ranks 30th in the country, thanks to holding opponents to just 30.5 boards per game. Foes are also shooting just 29.2% from behind the arc, which ranks 50th in the country. The Rams have done better at taking care of the ball, too, with just 13.9 turnovers per game, ranked 68th overall.

Lauren Holden ranks second in all of Division I in minutes played per game, at 39.2, and secondin total minutes at 1,253. The junior guard played all 50 minutes twice this year (at St. John's and at Saint Louis), and has gone the distance in 19 of 32 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 35th, respectively, at 38.4 and 36.9 minutes. Both Cavanaugh and Davis rank within the top-140 in points per game, at 131st and 127th, respectively. They are also within the top-125 in field goals attempts, at 63rd and 111th, respectively, with 470 and 438, while Davis sits 85th in the country, and second in the A-10, with 199 field goals to-date. Cavanaugh has been excellent from the line, hitting the second-most free throws by a Fordham rookie and joint-sixth overall in the program's history, with 139. That number ranks 46th nationally, while her 84.2% shooting clip ranks 45th.
 
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 139 free throws made. Her 84.2% free-throw clip ranks second. Cavanaugh also has the second-most points (535), third-most field goal attempts (470), and fourth-most free-throw attempts (165)
 
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 14 such wins dating back to last February. Fordham was 10-1 last year overall when holding opponents under 50 points and are now 11-0 this season.
 
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 55.2 points per game, which ranks 15th 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 5-3 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.

Two 500-Point Scorers
Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis are the first Fordham teammates to ever score 500 or more points in the same season. The 1-2 scoring punch between freshman and senior has helped buoy the Rams' offense all season long and recently the duo crossed the 500-point threshold, becoming just the 10th and 11th Rams to ever even do so. Cavanaugh, with 535 points, sits just ahead of Davis and inside the top-10 for single-season scoring all-time, and is second nationally among all freshmen. With nine points, she will pass Sharon Nast's 543 in 1985-86.
 
Keys to Winning
Fordham has its fifth 20-win campaign under Stephanie Gaitley and 10th ever in program history. Over those 23 wins, the Rams are outscoring opponents 63.5 to 51.6, a margin of 11.9. Part of the team's success can be attributed to wide disparities in rebounding (38.8 to 28.6) and shooting from the field. Fordham converts on 42.4% of its overall shots and 33.6% from behind the arc, while holding opponents to 37.6% and 25.4%, respectively. G'mrice Davis leads the way with 17.6 points on 48.7% shooting and 14.0 rebounds, plus a team-high 14 blocks and 30 steals. Bre Cavanaugh adds 15.9 points, 47 assists, and 27 steals. Lauren Holden, with 11.5, and Mary Goulding, with 9.3, are next in scoring. Holden is shooting 41.3% from behind the arc in wins while Goulding hits 46.9% of her two-point shots. Johanna Klug has been super efficient in wins, as well, with 61.7% shooting on limited looks (94 attempts), while averaging 6.4 points and 3.7 rebounds, and swatting 12 shots
 
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 15-3 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 86-27 (76.1%) record at home across 113 contests. On the flip side, including this year's 8-5 mark, Gaitley's Rams are 57-58 (49.6%) on the road or on neutral ground during her tenure.
 
Historically Great from the Stripe
These Rams are shooting 76.9% (379-for-493) from the free-throw line this season, tied for the single-season program record with the 1993-94 squad. That conversion rate ranks 15th in the country, as well. Bre Cavanaugh has already tallied 139 makes on the year at a 84.2% clip, the former ranking 46th in the country and the latter 45th, and the number of makes is joint-sixth all-time in program history. Lauren Holden paces the team, though, with an 87.8% percentage (43-for-49), while G'mrice Davis has been solid, as well, at 73.1% and 106 makes, and Johanna Klug hits her freebies at a 74.4% clip. Against Harvard on Friday night, the Rams matched a season-high of 22 free-throw attempts and made a new season-high 20 (90.9%). 

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 27 this season out of 30 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 61 of 123 career contests and has scored at least 10 points in 78 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 11thlongest streak in NCAA history.
 
Got a Minute?
Junior tri-captain Lauren Holden ranks second in the country with 39.2 minutes played per contest, and is second with 1,253 total minutes played. She has gone the distance on 19 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 21. A starter since midway through her freshman season, Holden became the 15th Ram to surpass 3,000 minutes, now up to 3,101 for her career, which ranks 12th all-time. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis are also inside the top-50 nationally in minutes played, with 38.4 and 36.9, ranked sixth and 35th, respectively. Davis' 3,483 career minutes ranks seventh 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 154 career triples. She is just two away from passing Becky Peters ('12) for seventh all-time. Holden's 83.8% 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 173 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' 1,212 rebounds, 390 have come on the offensive glass, or just under one third of the time (32.1%). For the season, Davis has 101, Goulding has 58, Klug has 49, 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, 390-263.
 
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 143 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 607-355 record and the second-most overall wins among active A-10 coaches, behind Saint Louis' Lisa Stone, who has 610. 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.
 
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.
 
Cavanaugh among Fordham Rookies
Cavanaugh's current 16.7 points per game pace is the second-highest among freshman, behind Hall of Famers Anne Gregory O'Connell (22.0 in 1976-77), her 535 overall points are the second-most behind Gregory O'Connell and ahead of Jeanine Radice, and her 139 free throws made are also second behind just Gregory O'Connell's historic freshman season with 176 free throws. She also ranks first with 1,228 minutes, third with 169 field goals, and third with 58 three-pointers. Her 84.2% 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 20 of their last 26 contests, and have an 15-3 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' 50 dimes on the year ranks fourth in the squad and has 38 helpers since league play began.
 
Career Milestone Watch
- Bre Cavanaugh is 15 points away from 550
- Bre Cavanaugh is 31 field goals away from 200
- Bre Cavanaugh is 42 three-pointers away from 100
- Bre Cavanaugh is 11 free throws away from 150
- Bre Cavanaugh is 11 steals away from 50
- Bre Cavanaugh is 22 minutes away from 1,250
- G'mrice Davis is 26 points away from 1,500
- G'mrice Davis is 18 rebounds away from 1,200
- G'mrice Davis is nine offensive rebounds away from 300
- G'mrice Davis is 20 field goals away from 600
- G'mrice Davis is 16 minutes away from 3,500
- G'mrice Davis is two appearances away from 125
- Mary Goulding is 46 points away from 350
- Mary Goulding is 10 rebounds away from 250
- Mary Goulding is 18 assists away from 100
- Mary Goulding is 22 minutes away from 1,250
- Lauren Holden is 27 points away from 850
- Lauren Holden is 46 three-pointers away from 200
- Lauren Holden is four assists away from 200
- Lauren Holden is four 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 Sunday's contest will advance to play either George Mason or Virginia sometime between March 21-23.