Women's Basketball Kicks 2021-22 Campaign Off Tuesday Against Quinnipiac

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Bronx, N.Y. – The 2021-22 campaign kicks off for Fordham women's basketball on Tuesday night against Quinnipiac. Tip-off from inside the Rose Hill Gym is set for 6 p.m. in the first game of a double header with men's basketball. ESPN+ and WFUV will carry live coverage.
 
2020-21 Season Review
Fordham finished with a 12-6 overall record and 8-2 in league play, earning the #2 seed at the A-10 Championship and a double-bye. However, the Rams' season was put on hold for over three weeks in February due to state and university COVID-19 protocols that resulted in just one "nonconference" tune-up at George Washington before postseason play, where Fordham fell in the A-10 quarterfinals and then in its two WNIT games. Still, the Rams earned their seventh postseason berth in 10 years under Coach Gaitley (would've been eight had the 2019-20 season not been cut short) and saw the program's third-ever conference Player of the Year in sophomore Anna DeWolfe, garnering the program's second WBCA All-America Honorable Mention honor, as well. Kendell Heremaia (Second Team) and Kaitlyn Downey (Third Team) became the first Fordham trio in the A-10 era to earn All-Conference honors.
 
Series History
This will be the second-ever meeting between the two schools after last year's contest, a 62-58 Bobcat win in Hamden on December 5th. Anna DeWolfe scored 21 points to lead the Rams, while Kaitlyn Downey produced a 12-point 10-rebound double-double with six assists, a block, and a steal over 31 minutes. Off the bench, Megan Jonassen grabbed five offensive rebounds of her nine total, while Maranda Nyborg chipped in four points, six boards, and a block in her second career game. Quinnipiac's top six scorers from that contest all return for the 21-22 season.
 
Preseason Poll
Fordham has been predicted to finish third in the annual Atlantic 10 preseason coaches poll, totaling 163 points among the 14 head coaches, just behind Dayton (193) and Rhode Island (174). The Rams return four of their five starters and 91% of their scoring from a year ago, while adding senior transfer Asiah Dingle and Australian U19 international Millie Prior. Anna DeWolfe, the reigning Co-Player of the Year, was selected to the preseason All-Conference First Team, while Kendell Heremaia was named to the Second Team.
 
Post Tune-Up
The Rams hosted Post University in exhibition play last week, defeating the Eagles, 84-44. DeWolfe looked to be midseason form, scoring 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting, while Asiah Dingle racked up 14 points, six steals, four assists, and two rebounds over a team-high 25 minutes. Freshman Millie Prior scored 13 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting with six boards, while the trio of Downey, Jonassen, and Nyborg all chipped in 10 points apiece.
 
Gaitley's "Most Challenging" Nonconference Schedule Yet
Fordham women's basketball head coach Stephanie Gaitley has called this year's nonconference slate her "most challenging" of any of her teams in her career. The season begins against the predicted MAAC champions, Quinnipiac, a four-time league champion since moving from the NEC in 2013, and features six programs either ranked in at least one national poll or receiving votes: Seton Hall and Houston received votes in the coaches poll, Notre Dame, Michigan State, and Florida Gulf Coast received votes in both, and Baylor is #7/8 to begin the year. Notre Dame and Baylor are former multi-time NCAA champions, as well. Not to mention PAC-12 contenders Arizona State, last year's America East champions, Stony Brook, and a Princeton team that, although hasn't played a game in two years, was the most recent Ivy League champions with a 26-1 overall record.
 
Hungry Like DeWolfe
Last year's Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Year, junior captain Anna DeWolfe became the third Ram to average over 20 points per game in program history, finishing with 20.8 for the season, which ranked 22nd in the country, one of seven underclassmen in the top-25. The Cumberland, Maine native was also 25th in the nation with 37.3 minutes played per game and 29th with 2.7 threes per game. DeWolfe is up to 779 points for her career with an average of 15.6 over her first 50 contests at Fordham, all starts, beginning with her first collegiate game against #16 Notre Dame at home in front of a sold out Rose Hill Gym where she nearly triple-doubled (10 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) in a close five-point loss to the Irish.
 
The 5'9 guard shot 41.0% from the floor a year ago, 38.3% from behind the arc, and 81.2% from the charity stripe. She is a 41.8% overall career shooter, 34.7% from deep, and 82.4% from the line, with averages of 3.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 steals per game. She was a three-time A-10 Rookie of the Week honoree and a member of the All-Rookie team after leading all freshmen in minutes played (1,152) and earned all the aforementioned accolades in March. 
 
Nationally Speaking
Per-game statistics took on even more significance last year during the ongoing pandemic. The Rams had the 31st-stingiest defense in the country, allowing just 57.4 points, and were 22nd in rebounding margin (+7.6), 44th in three-point percentage (35.0%), 27th in threes per game (8.4), and 51st with just 14.9 fouls committed per game.
 
At the individual level, DeWolfe's 20.8 points per game ranked 22nd in the country and 25th in minutes played (37.3). Downey was 11th in the nation with 8.5 defensive rebounds per game and 35th with 10.2 overall boards per contest. Megan Jonassen was 20th overall and second in the A-10 with 3.9 offensive rebounds per game, as well.
 
This Is Our House
Since Gaitley took over before the 2011-12 season, the Rams hold a 120-32 (79.0%) record at home across 152 contests. Over the last four-plus seasons, the Rams are 64-12 in the Rose Hill Gym, including a 32-6 mark in conference play and three straight Holiday Classic crowns. A 15-game win streak ended earlier this season against Davidson but the Rams have rattled off six straight.
 
3 and D
Stephanie Gaitley's Rams have dominated the all-time top-10 for scoring defense, holding nine of the 10 spots with the 2008-09 squad holding the record with just 47.9 points allowed per game. Fordham was 31st nationally last season with 57.4 points allowed per game. Gaitley's Rams have held opponents under 50 points 91 times in 314 games (29.0%) and hold an 84-7 record in those contests.
 
Similarly, Gaitley's Rams are all over the top-10 for three-pointers made. In fact, they hold every spot in the top-seven, with the 2018-19 squad breaking the 2013-14 title-winning Rams' record by 23 (267 total). They also set the record for attempts with a whopping 826. Last year's team was on pace to finish sixth, shooting 36.8% as a group before the WNIT, but poor shooting in the final two games dropped them to 11th in program history at 35.0%.
 
Up Next
The Rams travel to NR/RV Seton Hall this Saturday for an 11:30 a.m. matinee in South Orange, N.J.