Women's Basketball at Virginia Tech for WNIT Sweet Sixteen Clash

Watch | Listen | Live Stats
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (24-9, 12-4 A-10) continues marching along in the WNIT, equaling the program's farthest run in the WNIT (2013) by advancing to the Sweet Sixteen with another come-from-behind victory, this time on the road at Drexel. The Rams now travel to Virginia Tech (23-10, 6-10 ACC) for a Thursday night clash, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
 
Last Time Out at Drexel
Much like their win over Harvard two days prior in the first round, the Rams rallied from a halftime deficit to overtake Drexel on the road on Sunday afternoon. It was again redshirt freshman Bre Cavanaugh to galvanize the offense, scoring 21 of her 32 points in the second half on 7-of-10 shooting, 3-of-5 from behind the arc, and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. Fordham started the half off on a 6-2 run, on layups for G'mrice Davis, twice, and Kendell Heremaia, to tie the game up at 28-all but the Dragons quickly rebounded with an 8-2 run, which included a three and an inbounds pass steal leading to a lay-up, to retake a six-point lead. Mary Goulding responded to the last bucket with a jumper in the paint and then Cavanaugh scored her first of those 21 points with a three-pointer two minutes later to cut the deficit to one. A minute later and Fordham took the lead on a Goulding layup off a nice one-two feed from Davis. The Rams held serve the rest of the period and built up a five-point lead, 43-38, on a last-second Cavanaugh layup, her second buzzer beater of the game to that point. Midway through the fourth, Drexel tied the game up at 47-47 with a Bailey Greenberg three. On the other end, Lauren Holden missed a three but the carrom fell to Cavanaugh, who fed Holden again and the junior did not miss a second time. The Dragons kept close and even tied things up again, 53-53, with 2:43 left to play but Davis provided the go-ahead bucket with a layup out of a Fordham timeout. Greenberg hit one of two free throws with 1:48 to go but Cavanaugh answered with a dagger triple from the top of the key and then blew past her defender for a layup after the Dragons got one of their own through Aubree Brown. The Rams saw out the win with free throws and stout defense. 
 
Series History vs. Virginia Tech
The Rams and Hokies have met eight different times between 1996 and 2005 but Fordham has yet to get the best of Virginia Tech. Both schools joined the Atlantic 10 at the same time and the series saw seven meetings those first five years. Altogether, the series has seen an even split of home and away contests with the last taking place in the Bronx in 2005 as the #25 Hokies walked away 80-67 victors. 
 
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, is second in the country with 10.2 defensive boards, and is averaging 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 17.2 points over 38.4 minutes while starting all 33 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.
 
Davis Second 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 has just urpassed Sharon Nast ('86) for fourth-most points in program history. The Philadelphia native sits on 1,485 career points. 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 809 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 608-355 all-time record.
.
Top-15 Ranked Defense
Stephanie Gaitley's Rams have spent the majority of this season in the top-20 nationally in scoring defense, as high as fourth and as low as 28th after allowing a season-high 91 points at Saint Louis in double overtime. Since, the Rams have held Duquesne, Saint Joseph's, twice, and Harvard at or below 52 points and then Drexel to 60 points, and are back up to 15th in the nation as a result. Fordham has allowed just 12 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 14 of its 33 opponents reaching the 55-point barrier. Opponents are shooting 39.8% from the field but just 29.3% from behind the arc, ranked first in-conference and 53rd 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 10.2 defensive boards per contest, second with 13.5 rebounds per game, and fourth with 420 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 10 contests this year. Her 13.5 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 (1,263) and ahead of South Carolina's A'Ja Wilson (1,174). Davis' 57 career double-doubles are currently tied for most among all active players with Mavunga and George Mason's Natalie Butler.
 
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 27th in Division I with just 14.5 personal fouls per game, and 52nd with 478 total fouls. The former ranks first in the conference, the latter third. At the free throw line, the Rams are currently .3 away from the 1993-94 squad's program record 76.9% clip. That sits first in-conference and 20th in the country. Part of the team's success on defense comes from limiting opposing rebounds and three-point shooting. Fordham grabs just 37.7 rebounds per contest (157th) but has a rebounding margin of +7.3, which ranks 29th in the country, thanks to holding opponents to just 30.3 boards per game. Foes are also shooting just 29.3% from behind the arc, which ranks 53rd 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 second in total minutes at 1,293. The junior guard played all 50 minutes twice this year (at St. John's and at Saint Louis), and has gone the distance in 20 of 33 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 36th, respectively, at 38.4 and 37.0 minutes. Both Cavanaugh and Davis rank within the top-140 in points per game, at 136th and 111th, respectively. They are also within the top-100 in field goals attempts, at 49th and 100th, respectively, with 489 and 446, while Davis sits 81st in the country, and second in the A-10, with 203 field goals to-date. Cavanaugh has been excellent from the line, hitting the second-most free throws by a Fordham rookie and sixth-most overall in the program's history, with 143. That number ranks 40th nationally, while her 84.6% shooting clip ranks 42nd.
 
Cavanaugh Among Freshmen Nationally
Bre Cavanaugh already ranks within the top-125 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 143 free throws made. Her 84.6% free-throw clip ranks second by .1. Cavanaugh also has the third-most points (567), third-most field goal attempts (489), and third-most free-throw attempts (169).
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
A staple of the Gaitley-led Rams is defense, and no stat better represents that than Fordham's 57-5 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 55.3 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 6-3 all-time record with trips to the Sweet Sixteen in 2013 and this year serving as the further the program has gone. The Rams defeated Army  and Boston University in the Bronx that year before falling at James Madison. Last year, Fordham rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Georgetown on the road in the opening round 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 567 points, sits just ahead of Davis and inside the top-10 for single-season scoring all-time, and is second nationally among all freshmen. She recently passed Sharon Nast's 543 in 1985-86 for ninth all-time. She's 11 away from passing Erin Rooney (2013-14) for eighth. 

Historically Great from the Stripe
These Rams are shooting 76.6% (389-for-508) from the free-throw line this season, third-most in a single-season and just .3 back of the program record, set by the 1993-94 squad. That conversion rate ranks 20th in the country, as well. Bre Cavanaugh has already tallied 143 makes on the year at a 84.6% clip, the former ranking 40th in the country and the latter 42nd, and the number of makes is sixth-most 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 72.7% and 109 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%), but the team dipped to just 66.7% at Drexel by making 10-of-15. 
 
Keys to Winning
Fordham has its fifth 20-win campaign under Stephanie Gaitley and 10th ever in program history. Over those 24 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 32 steals. Bre Cavanaugh adds 16.7 points, 52 assists, and 29 steals. Lauren Holden, with 11.5, and Mary Goulding, with 9.5, are next in scoring. Holden is shooting 40.5% 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 61.1% shooting on limited looks (99 attempts), while averaging 6.2 points and 3.6 rebounds, and swatting 13 shots.

G's Double-Doubles
G'mrice Davis is tied with Ohio State's Stephanie Mavunga and George Mason's Natalie Butler for most active career double-doubles in Division I, with 57. The senior forward has 27 this season out of 31 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 124 career contests and has scored at least 10 points in 79 games. In her senior campaign, thus far, Davis has failed to record double-digit rebounds just four times (nine vs. Bucknell, eight vs. UCLA, nine vs. La Salle, and eight at Drexel), 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 39.2 minutes played per contest and is second with 1,293 total minutes played. That last number is on the verge of breaking a single-season program record set by Arielle Collins in 2012-13 when she played 1,304 minutes over 35 contests. Holden can break that mark in one fewer game by playing 12 or more minutes on Thursday night. This year, Holden has gone the distance on 20 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 22. A starter since midway through her freshman season, Holden became the 15th Ram to surpass 3,000 minutes, now up to 3,141 for her career, which ranks 11th all-time, 40 back of the top-10. Bre Cavanaugh and G'mrice Davis are also inside the top-50 nationally in minutes played, with 38.4 and 37.0, ranked sixth and 36th, respectively. Davis' 3,523 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 seventh on the all-time list, passing Annie Zopf ('09), Monica Mack ('05), and Arielle Collins ('13), and tied with Becky Peters ('12) with 155 career triples. Next up is Maureen Garvey, with 159. 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 180 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' 1,243 rebounds, 401 have come on the offensive glass, or just under one third of the time (32.3%). For the season, Davis has 104, Goulding has 59, Klug has 49, Cavanaugh has 34, and Jillings has 32. More than one-third of Jillings' boards come on the offensive end (32-of-80 - 40.0%). Three others have between 15 and 17. Fordham outrebounds its opponents on the offensive glass, 401-271.

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.
 
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.

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.
 
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.

Cavanaugh's Other 30-Point Performances
Cavanaugh previously busted loose for 34 points in the one-point loss to Dayton in mid-January 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. On Sunday afternoon, Cavanaugh broke out for 21 points in the second half of an eventual 32-point outburst, doing so on 11-of-19 shooting, a season-high 6-of-12 from long distance, and 4-of-4 from the stripe. It was Cavanaugh's first 30-point effort in a win. 
 
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 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 567 overall points are the second-most behind Gregory O'Connell and ahead of Jeanine Radice, and her 143 free throws made are also second behind just Gregory O'Connell's historic freshman season with 176 free throws. She also ranks first with 1,268 minutes, second with 180 field goals, and second with 64 three-pointers. Her 84.6% free-throw rate is also once again tops among Fordham rookies. With a start on Thursday night, she'll also set the freshman record for starts, with 34, besting Hannah Missry's mark in 2013-14.
 
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 19 of their last 24 contests, and have an 16-3 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' 52 dimes on the year ranks fourth in the squad and has 40 helpers since league play began.
 
Career Milestone Watch
- Bre Cavanaugh is 33 points away from 600
- Bre Cavanaugh is 20 field goals away from 200
- Bre Cavanaugh is 36 three-pointers away from 100
- Bre Cavanaugh is seven free throws away from 150
- Bre Cavanaugh is nine steals away from 50
- Bre Cavanaugh is 32 minutes away from 1,300
- G'mrice Davis is 15 points away from 1,500
- G'mrice Davis is 11 rebounds away from 1,200
- G'mrice Davis is seven offensive rebounds away from 300
- G'mrice Davis is 16 field goals away from 600
- G'mrice Davis is 27 minutes away from 3,550
- G'mrice Davis is one appearance away from 125
- Mary Goulding is 31 points away from 350
- Mary Goulding is seven rebounds away from 250
- Mary Goulding is 16 assists away from 100
- Mary Goulding is 38 minutes away from 1,300
- Lauren Holden is 22 points away from 850
- Lauren Holden is 45 three-pointers away from 200
 
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. Six different countries are represented: Barbados (Sonia Burke), Fiji (Valerie Nainima, Vilisi Tavui), Germany (Johanna Klug), 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 Thursday's contest will advance to play either Alabama or Georgia Tech this weekend.