Women's Basketball Welcomes St. John's Tuesday

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Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham women's basketball team (7-3, 1-0 A-10) is hoping to begin a new winning streak on Tuesday night against St. John's (5-3, 0-0 Big East) after the team's previous one was snapped at Iona last week. The Rams are coming off a tight 57-55 win over Princeton on Saturday, the first of six straight games at home to round out the nonconference slate.
 
Women's Basketball Promotions
There are several promotions going on associated with the Fordham women's basketball program.
 
There will be a "Battle of the Bronx" fundraiser where both the men's and women's teams of Fordham and Manhattan will try to raise the most money leading up to next Saturday's game against Manhattan. The fundraiser began this past Saturday when the men's teams played. Fans who want to make a donation can go HERE, or by texting 'GO' to 749-35.
 
Fans can also bring a toy for the school's annual toy drive and use it to attend the game for free.
 
Women's basketball is also hosting a coloring contest for young fans, with prizes for the best renditions given out to three different age groups. Read more about it here.
 
Finally, interested youth groups should check out the Women's basketball program's Harry's Hustler's young group initiative to attend home games and participate in a variety of activities and opportunities.
 
Last Time Out vs. Princeton (12/10)
Fordham rallied from an early six-point deficit to take a slim one-point lead into halftime and for most of the second half, holding on for a two-point win over the recent Ivy League powerhouse. Redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina poured in a career-high 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting and hit several clutch shots down the stretch.
 
The Tigers led, 16-12, at the end of the first quarter by shooting 8-of-16 from the field, grabbing several offensive rebounds to extend possessions, while the Rams shot just 4-of-11 with five turnovers. Fordham did hold a pair of early leads but Princeton continued to press and make efficient shots. Fordham was rejuvenated coming out of the break, though, going on an 8-0 run early in the second quarter, capped off by an Anna Kelly fastbreak layup off a steal and feed from sophomore Mary Goulding. The Tigers roared back with three straight buckets on the next three possessions to take a four point lead before Lauren Holden hit her second trey of the day to stop the bleeding. Kate Kreslina and Tiffany Suarez each hit jumpers for a quick 7-0 run in response to make it, 27-24, before the Tigers hit a pair of jumpers around a Danielle Burns layup for the halftime margin, 29-28.
 
Princeton's Leslie Robinson gave her team a brief lead with a mid-range jumper but it would be the last of the day for the visitors. For the remainder of the third quarter, Fordham enjoyed an 18-6 run, holding the Tigers to just 2-of-11 shooting and three turnovers. Kreslina chipped in six points over eight minutes, while four others also got in on the scoring. The run ended with two Burns free throws to give Fordham its first and only double-digit lead of the afternoon, 47-36. Princeton made it a game in the fourth quarter, outscoring the hosts, 19-10, in the frame but the Rams did just enough to hold on, with G'mrice Davis and Kreslina hitting clutch shots from the field and line down the stretch.
Series History vs. St. John's
The Red Storm lead the all-time series, 20-5, dating back to the first meeting on December 3, 1971, nearly 45 years to the day. St. John's won that contest, 47-33, and would go on to win the first nine meetings between the two schools until Fordham won in the Bronx in 1979, 65-57. More recently, the two schools met in the 2015 Postseason WNIT second round, with St. John's walking away 77-63 winners. Before that, the two programs hadn't met since 2002. The last five meetings before that, Fordham held a 3-2 advantage between 1988 and 2002. The two schools haven't played in the Bronx since 1990.
 
Scouting the Red Storm
St. John's started the season off 2-3 and has since rattled off three straight wins. They traveled to and defeated William & Mary to begin the season before dropping a pair of home contests to Duquesne and #22 Miami before travling to Las Vegas for the South Point Shootout that Fordham participated in two seasons ago. The Red Storm split the two contests, a win over Virginia and a loss to #23 Arizona State. Since then, they have hosted three straight games and won all three, against Albany, Lafayette, and Rutgers. St. John's held an Albany team that scored 82 points here in a double overtime win three weeks ago to just 36 points while also beating the Scarlet Knights five days ago by 26 points. St. John's is led by Akina Wellere (11.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game) and Jade Walker (10.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game). Aaliyah Lewis leads the team with 41 assists and also chips in 9.6 points per game.  No player averages more than five rebounds per game but exactly one third of the team's rebounds come on the offensive end. Wellere is comingof a scorching-hot performance against the Scarlet Knights, shooting 6-of-7 from deep for 19 points.
 
Gaitley Hits 100
Stephanie Gaitley reached 100 wins with the Fordham program against Little Rock on November 19. This marked the third school the 31-year veteran head coach has reached the century mark, plus four with at least 95 wins. Gaitley had previously reached the milestone with Richmond and Saint Joseph's, plus compiled 95 wins with LIU Brooklyn, the first three schools she coached at. Her most at a single stop was 196 over a decade with the Hawks. 11 more wins and Gaitley will become the all-time winningest head coach in Fordham history.
 
Gaitley's 900^th Game
The double overtime win over Albany on November 22 was Stephanie Gaitley's 900 career contest as a head coach. She has a 569-337 record over 31 seasons with five different schools.
 
Second-Most Wins in A-10 History
Continuing the trend of Gaitley milestones, the win over Albany was Gaitley's 157th all-time as a coach of an A-10 school (Saint Joseph's and Fordham), passing Theresa Grentz for second-most all-time. Gaitley now has 161 with the win over Grambling State but needs 80 more to break Joe McKeown's all-time record of 240.
 
The Road to 1,000
Senior guard Hannah Missry looks set to become the 19th member of the 1,000 point club in Fordham program history, needing 48 points to get there. She is currently averaging 7.6 points per game, which would project her to reach the milestone in the first contest of 2017 -- at Rhode Island. Missry is already the program's leading three-point shooter, having passed Heather Donlon's long-standing record of 233 last season, with 259 career makes through 104 appearances (99 starts).
 
Kreslina Named A-10 Rookie of the Week
Redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week on Monday afternoon, the first honor of her young career. The Latvian guard averaged 12.5 points over the past week, including a career-high 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the close win over Princeton on Saturday. The freshman hit several big shots in the fourth quarter.
 
100 Starts
Missry will likely make her 100th career start against St. John's on Tuesday night. Danielle Burns is next on the team with 54 career starts. 
 
Defense, Defense, Defense
Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Fordham has held its opponents to less than 50 points 33 times resulting in 33 victories. Overall under Gaitley, Fordham is 43-4 in such instances and have now won 35 straight with the most recent win over Boston College, limiting the Eagles to 49 points. The Rams are 3-0 this season holding opponents under 50 points (and 4-0 holding them at 51 and under).
 
Defense Part Deux
Through 10 games this season, Fordham's defense has limited opposing scoring to just 56.1 points per contest, ranking 41st in the country. Part of that is due to the Rams' stingy perimeter D that has held opponents to just 24.3% shooting from beyond the arc, currently situated at 13th nationally. On Saturday, Princeton's solid three-point shooting offense was held to just 3-of-14 shooting from behind the arc.
 
Three and D
The Rams are 7-3 so far through their first 10 games and a big reason for their success has been the team's success around the perimeter on both sides of the ball. Fordham is 67th in the country in three-point attempts (203) and 85th in makes (64) while playing terrific defense along the perimeter that has led to teams shooting just 24.3% from deep, good for 13th in the country.
 
Leading the A-10
The Rams currently lead the conference in three categories: free throw percentage (77.9%), scoring defense (56.1), and three-point defense (24.3%). The Rams are also second in threes per game (6.4). On the individual level, G'mrice Davis leads the league in rebounding rate (12.3) and defensive rebounds per game (9.5). Hannah Missry's 2.0 threes per game average is second.
 
Davis Boarding with the Best
G'mrice Davis has been a force on the glass this season, putting up career numbers across the board that has her near the top of Division I's rebounding lists (as of 12/12/16): Davis' 9.5 defensive rebounds per game are second-most in the nation, her 123 total rebounds rank second, and her 12.3 rebounding average is third overall. Washington's Chantel Osahor ranks above her with 156 total rebounds over 11 games (14.2) this season. Additionally, her four double-doubles in nine games rank 31st in the country. Davis tallied her fourth double-double at Iona on Wednesday, with 12 points and 14 rebounds, and her current 12.3 rebounds per game average would make her the second Ram ever to average double-digit rebounds in a single season. Anne Gregory did it four times.
 
Actively One of the Best from Deep
among active players in Division I for all-time downtown makes. She is six behind Kelsey Plum of Washington and 18 away from Boston College's Kelly Hughes, who the Rams recently held 0-of-2 from downtown this season. Junior guard Kelsey Mitchell of Ohio State is tops with an absurd 290 three-pointers in just 80 games.
 
100 Straight For Burns
Senior Danielle Burns played in her 100th straight game in maroon and white against Little Rock. Burns hasn't missed a single contest since arriving in the Bronx, making 107 appearances and 55 starts, including 32 straight. Fellow seniors Hannah Missry and Danielle Padovano recently hit the century mark against Grambling State and Princeton, respectively.
 
Missry Breaks Out
Senior guard Hannah Missry had struggled over her first three games this season before Albany, scoring 12 points on 4-of-17 from the field. Against the Great Danes, Missry bested her career-high for minutes played by four, with 47, and poured in 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including a 5-of-9 clip from beyond the arc. Missry also matched her career-high with three assists. After being held to just five points against Texas Tech, Missry exploded in the second quarter versus Grambling State, hitting 5-of-5 shots, 3-of-3 from downtown, for 13 of her 15 points in the win.  She was instrumental in the team's big win over Duquesne, hitting 4-of-6 long-range attempts. She is averaging 2.0 long-range makes per contest, second-most in the A-10.
 
78 To Go
Missry is 78 three-pointers away from breaking Jessica Jenkins' all-time Atlantic 10 record of 338 threes set at St. Bonaventure from 2009-12. Missry recently moved into sole possession of ninth place, passing Amra Mehmedic (Saint Joseph's 2001-04) and Erin Shields (Saint Joseph's 2011-14), with one made three-pointer at Iona. Missry has averaged 79.7 three's over her three seasons in the Bronx and if she keeps up her current career pace, would finish within the top-three all-time.
 
Fordham's Charity
Fordham is 19th in the country thus far with a 77.9% clip from the free throw line. The Rams moved to the top of the Atlantic 10 leaderboard with a perfect 10-of-10 from the line against Boston College last weekend. On Saturday against Princeton, the Rams hit a season-high 15-of-20 from the stripe.
 
Fomina Facilitating Off the Bench
The Latvian junior guard has come off the bench this season in all 10 contests and has helped facilitate the offense while on the court. Fomina is second on the team with 19 assists on the season and has tallied at least one assist in every single game thus far this season and tallied a season-high five dimes at Iona to go with two points, four boards, and two steals.
 
Career Numbers Watch
- Hannah Missry is 48 points away from 1,000
- Hannah Missry is one start away from 100
- Danielle Burns is nine rebounds away from 350
- G'mrice Davis is seven points away from 600
- G'mrice Davis is 43 rebounds away from 500
- Danielle Padovano is 53 minutes away from 1,500
- Danielle Padovano is four three-pointers away from 50
- Danielle Padovano is 12 assists away from 75
- Asnate Fomina is two assists away from 100
- Asnate Fomina is 36 minutes away from 1,000
- Lauren Holden is three assists away from 75
 
Fordham Debuts
Three Rams made their debuts against Furman: redshirt freshman Kate Kreslina started and tallied 10 points and eight rebounds over a team-high 35 minutes, while Mary Goulding and Anna Kelly came off the bench for four and seven points, respectively. Goulding added four rebounds, an assist and a block in 19 minutes, while Kelly added two boards, an assist, and a steal in 11 minutes. Junior transfer Tiffany Suarez made her long-awaited Fordham debut against Little Rock, tallying two points and an assist in nine fourth quarter minutes against the Trojans.
 
Five Sign NLIs in 2016-17 Recruiting Class
Coach Gaitley announced this past week the additions of five student-athletes  to national letters of intent: Halei Gillis, Kendell Heremaia, Zara Jillings, Ralene Kwiatkowski, and Vilisi Tavui. Fordham's global reach under Coach Gaitley continues with two players from North Carolina, two from New Zealand, and one from Fiji. The three international players all have experience playing within their countries' junior ranks.
 
You can read all about the five additions here.
 
Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll
The Fordham Rams were selected to finish sixth in the annual preseason coaches' poll, announced at A-10 Media Day, held in Richmond, Va., the site of the 2017 A-10 Championship. The Rams finished last season tied for sixth, with an 8-8 conference record, and reached the second round of the conference postseason. Saint Louis, who tied for last year's regular season title and reached the third round of the WNIT, garnered nine first-place votes. Dayton and last year's runner-up Duquesne tied for second in the poll with 166 points apiece, with the latter receiving three first-place votes. Two-time defending champion, George Washington, gathered the remaining two first-place votes and is predicted to finish fourth. Following the Colonials are VCU, Fordham, Richmond, and Saint Joseph's to round out the top eight. Rhode Island, St. Bonaventure, George Mason, La Salle, Davidson, and Massachusetts rounded out the preseason rankings, respectively.
 
2015-16 Season Review
The Rams finished last season 14-17 and 8-8 in conference play, defeating Massachusetts in overtime in the first round of the A-10 Championship but falling to eventual runner-up Duquesne in the next round. New Director of Player Development Samantha Clark was named Second Team All-Atlantic 10 as well as to the All-Defensive Team after a fantastic senior campaign where she led the squad with 12.5 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, also chipping in a team-high 36 blocks and 30 steals. Clark led the A-10 in minutes played per contest (37.2). Fordham will return the other four starters from last season, with three of them averaging between nine and 10 points per game. Junior G'mrice Davis tallied 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per contests with 10 blocks and 21 steals during a solid sophomore season, while Danielle Burns scored 9.6 points per game on 39.8% shooting from the field and led the team with 76 assists. Hannah Missry continued her volume three-point shooting and set the school record for most career long-range makes as a junior, finishing the year with 239. She has averaged 79 threes over her three seasons but will need 100 to break the A-10 career record. Sophomore Lauren Holden solidified her spot as the team's starting point guard as a freshman by averaging 6.3 points per game with 55 assists and 35% shooting from deep, good for third-best on the team. Danielle Padovano and Asnate Fomina were both vital cogs in the rotation off the bench, scoring 4.5 and 4.1 points per game, respectively, while also joining the starting lineup a combined 16 times last season.
 
Fordham WBB Ticket Plans
Two women's ticket options are available:
Flex Plan: $35 for 15 tickets
Community Partner: $100 for 50 tickets
 
With the flex plan option, fans receive 15 ticket vouchers good for use at any Fordham women's basketball game, plus a special Fordham scarf. As a community partner, you also have the opportunity to provide 50 tickets to a group of your choice.

The Rams have four remaining out-of-conference match-ups within the Rose Hill Gym and seven in Atlantic 10 play, including one nationally televised home contest – the home season finale against Dayton on February 19.
 
You can purchase single game tickets for all home contests here.
 
Up Next
Fordham hosts Manhattan on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the annual 'Battle of the Bronx'.