Women's Basketball at Davidson on Sunday

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Game Notes
 
Bronx, N.Y. – The Rams (8-3, 5-2) have just one contest this weekend and are looking to close out a very successful month with Sunday's game at Davidson (6-6, 3-3). Tip-off is set for 12 p.m.
 
50^th Anniversary
This campaign is the 50^th varsity season for the Fordham women's basketball program and Fordham Athletics will be celebrating all five decades throughout the year! See this release for more information, plus check out the influential 1970's All-Decade Team, the high-scoring 1980's All-Decade Team and the recently announced 1990's All-Decade Team, which made it to four straight Patriot League title games, winning two.
 
Fordham WBB Virtual Gameday Experience
With the unfortunate reality that our RAMily won't be allowed to be there live in the Rose Hill Gym or supporting us on the road for the foreseeable future, Fordham Athletics is proud to announce virtual gameday experiences for select contests, home and away! Read all about it and register HERE.
 
We have had a big turnout for our first three Virtual Gamedays (Hofstra and George Washington) and TOMORROW is our fourth! Make sure to register at the link above to participate!
 
Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer
Every year, Fordham women's basketball teams up with the Go4theGoal foundation to raise funds and awareness for kids battling cancer in our communities. The Rams do this by wearing yellow laces for their game against Saint Joseph's on February 12^th, although several girls wear the laces for more than one game each year. All funds raised will be used to improve the lives of kids battling cancer by providing financial assistance, funding innovative research, developing and implementing unique hospital programs, and granting personal wishes. Fans can support a great cause and make donations at this link.
 
Last Time Out
Fordham made 13 three-pointers for a second straight game, tied for third-most in a single game in program history, while leading for nearly the entire contest in its 19-point win over St. Bonaventure last Friday. Read all about it HERE.
 
Series History vs. Davidson
The Rams will be seeking revenge for their 15-point loss against the Wildcats at home in this season's conference opener, the most points given up this year to an opponent and the only opponent to score over 63. All-time, Fordham is 9-5 against Davidson since the latter joined the Atlantic 10 in 2015. In mid-December, Davidson used a 22-point second quarter, while outscoring the Rams 46-24, in the middle periods, to take the most recent meeting. Anna DeWolfe was held to a season-low 14 points, though Megan Jonassen enjoyed a career-best 14 points and 11 rebounds, nine coming on the offensive glass, as did Maranda Nyborg, who tallied a personal-best 10 points in just seven minutes.
 
Kendell Heremaia Named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week
Senior guard Heremaia earned her second weekly honor from the A-10 this past Monday after notching a season-high 20 points against the Bonnies. Read about her weekend and season here.
 
Three's Company
For the first time in the Atlantic 10 era, Fordham has had three different players earn Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors with Kendell Heremaia garnering the award this week, joining Anna DeWolfe, who has one, and Kaitlyn Downey, who has two. During the 1991-92 season in the Patriot League, the Rams had four different players earn Player of the Week: Nicole Williams (twice), Christie Kennedy, Kelly Roche, and Sue Moser.
 
Hungry Like DeWolfe
Sophomore captain Anna DeWolfe is 13th in all of Division I, and tops in the Atlantic 10, in scoring with 22.8 points per game, one of two underclassmen inside the national top-20. The Cumberland, Maine native has recorded games of 20 or more points nine times, including a career-high 34 points against Hofstra, crossing the 600-point threshold for her career at UMass. She continues to impress for the Rams ever since her collegiate debut - nearly triple-doubling against #16 Notre Dame in last year's season opener (10 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) in front of a record sold out Rose Hill Gym.
 
DeWolfe is shooting 43.6% from the floor and 39.5% from deep and leads the team with 38 assists and 15 steals. A three-time A-10 Rookie of the Week honoree and a member of the All-Rookie team, she was named to the preseason Third Team this Fall by the league's coaches. DeWolfe led all freshmen nationally last year with 1,152 minutes played, ranked 13th overall, and is above that this year, 5th among her peers this year with 38.4 minutes per contest.
 
Chairwomen of the Boards
Fordham has been beastly on the boards this year, averaging 39.8 per contest and with the 14th-highest rebounding margin in the country (11.0), holding opponents to just 28.8 boards. The Rams have grabbed 140-of-438 rebounds on the offensive glass, or 32.0%, and have five players with at least 13 offensive boards, led by junior Megan Jonassen's 43 (out of 81 total). She is joined by Kaitlyn Downey (20), Matilda Flood (18), Katie McLoughlin (18), and Sarah Karpell (13). Downey is 20th in the country with 11.0 rebounds per game and fourth overall with 9.2 defensive boards per game, while Jonassen is 25th with 3.9 o-boards per game. For their careers, Jonassen (156-of-283) and McLoughlin (32-of-55) have more offensive rebounds than defensive.
 
Lucky Number Seven
Senior Kendell Heremaia has racked up 878 points, 576 rebounds, 228 assists, and 99 steals during her Fordham career to-date. That puts her in some illustrious company among Rams that have reached the 800-point, 500-rebound, 200-assist, 100-steal plateaus, which Heremaia will cross soon with her next theft. Only six others have done it, most recently Samantha Clark ('16), but also featuring Becky Peters ('12) and Abigail Corning ('14) that have played under Coach Gaitley. Among that group, Heremaia has the fewest points but the second-most assists and the fifth-most rebounds already.
 
Kene From Distance
Heremaia is also climbing up the all-time three-point shooting categories at Fordham, entering the all-time top-10 for makes and percentage. Against UMass, the New Zealand international became the 10th Ram to reach 150 career three-pointers, now up to ninth with 156, while also jumping into a tie for 10th with a 35.2% rate from behind the arc. She could potentially join the top-10 for career rebounds, too, as she is 127 away from passing Abigail Corning.
 
Nationally Speaking (as of 1/29)
Per-game statistics take on even more significance this year during the ongoing pandemic. That said, the Rams are 14th in the country in rebounding margin (+11.0), 18th in scoring defense (55.4), 7th in three-point percentage (39.5%), 15th in threes per game (9.4), and 43rd with 103 long-range makes. They are also 47th with just 15.1 fouls committed per game.
 
At the individual level, DeWolfe's 22.8 points per game ranks 13th in the country. She is 42nd in attempts (211), 52nd in makes (92), and 5th in minutes played (38.4). Downey is 4th in the nation with 9.2 defensive rebounds per game and 20th with 11.0 overall per contest. Megan Jonassen is 25th overall and tops in the A-10 with 3.9 offensive rebounds per game, as well.
 
Deeper Dive Into Games Won
In eight wins so far this year, the Rams are outscoring opponents 65.5-50.9, a whopping 14.6-point disparity. Fordham is shooting 43.1% from the floor as a group and 41.8% from behind the arc, while holding opponents to marks of 35.4% and 29.7%, respectively. On the glass, Fordham has a 38.6-27.4 advantage. Anna DeWolfe leads the way with 24.4 points on 47.4% shooting overall and 43.1% from downtown, with a team-high 33 assists and 12 steals. Kendell Heremaia and Kaitlyn Downey are combining for 24.0 points and 19.7 rebounds per game, while Megan Jonassen is chipping in 5.8 points and 5.9 rebounds. Four Rams are shooting 42.0% or better from distance and forwards Jonassen and Nyborg are a combined 23-of-45 from the floor.
 
Downey Named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week Again
Downey picked up the second weekly honor of her career on Monday after posting a massive 24-point, 13-rebound double-double with five assists and a steal over 35 minutes at Saint Louis on Sunday. Earlier in the year, the junior captain was the season's first award winner after a 16-point, 20-rebound double-double at Stony Brook. The 20 boards were tied for the seventh-most in a road or neutral contest and joint-11th in any game, while she became just the seventh Ram to ever reach 20 rebounds in a game.
 
DeWolfe Named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week
Anna DeWolfe was named the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week during halftime of the Davidson game, the first time she's won the honor in her career. She earned it by scoring a career-high 34 points against Hofstra on December 18. She was also named this season's first Metropolitan Player of the Week on January 12^th after scoring 48 combined points at Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
 
Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
The Rams were predicted to finish in a tie for fourth in the annual A-10 preseason coaches poll. On the individual side, senior Kendell Heremaia was predicted to improve from last year's Third Team All-Conference selection to this year's Second Team, while sophomore captain Anna DeWolfe was viewed the same way, but from the All-Rookie team to the Third Team.
 
Class of 2025
Head coach Stephanie Gaitley announced her four-player 2021 recruiting class last month, saying "we are super excited about this class… we really believe this group could leave a special mark on our program." The class is comprised of 5'10 guard Colleen McQuillen (Cresskill, N.J.), 6'2 forward Millie Prior (New South Wales, Australia), 5'9 guard Sophia Sabino (Rumson, N.J.), and 5'10 guard Lexie Tarul (Bronx, N.Y.).
 
Up Next
The Rams return to the road next weekend for games at Richmond and VCU on February 5^th and 7^th at 5 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. Fordham's game against VCU will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network, the team's second national tv game of the year.