Fordham women’s basketball: A tempo-free review

Bre Cavanaugh displays lockdown defense that has become calling card for Fordham under Stephanie Gaitley. (Photo by Karen Floriani/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

Fordham’s final record stood at 21-11, and had COVID-19 not shut the season down, there would have been at least another game, maybe more. 

The Rams’ women’s basketball team was defeated by Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament semifinal, ending its season abruptly before the coronavirus pandemic did the same across the country days later. With the season playing on, coach Stephanie Gaitley’s group would have been in line for a WNIT bid and possible opening-round home game. A closer tempo-free look gives some insight of the team’s characteristics, with all numbers provided courtesy of Her Hoop Stats.

   

With a Gaitley team, the first thing you look at on the tempo-free side is defensive efficiency. For this past 2019-20 season, the Rams showed an 84, an outstanding margin good for 39th among 353 Division I teams. Fordham’s offensive efficiency checked in at 93, a respectable mark placing 144th on a national scale and of little surprise with the offense, as a few new players were on board and — as noted — defense is the staple of the women’s program at Rose Hill. The three most recent seasons illustrate this, with the Rams recording defensive efficiencies of 86, 87 and 88 in 2018-19, 2017-18 and 2016-17, respectively.

Fordham did not shoot that well overall, measuring only a 45 percent effective field goal clip. From 3-point range, the Rams shot 36 percent while recording a 50 percent mark inside the arc. A significant statistic was only 14 percent of their points came at the foul line. Fordham was unable to draw a lot of fouls in its offense, but when the Rams did, they cashed in to the tune of an 80 percent rate. Once again, in this case, you could live — to a degree — with the numbers. On defense, opponents shot an effective field goal percentage of 41, with Fordham allowing just 40 percent inside the arc and only 30 from distance. From the line, the opposition scored just 17 percent of its points. Fordham did not get to the line as much as wanted, but also kept opponents off it quite well. 

The turnover rate was 16 percent, a good number as teams strive to stay under 20. Of added note, this was a  significant number, as Gaitley was breaking two freshman guards into the Rams’ rotation. On defense, the number was 18 percent, indicative of the fact that Fordham did not live defensively on turning the opposition over.

Rebounding was on the minus side. The Rams’ offensive rebounding percentage was 27, while the opponents checked in at 28 percent. A minus-1 differential is not desirable, nor in this case is it disastrous. Here, it was rather a case of Fordham not getting many second opportunities while limiting opponents from converting their own putbacks.

This was a relatively young team needing time to develop. Not one senior was among the leaders in usage. Bre Cavanaugh, a redshirt junior, led the way with a 29 percent rate. Kendell Heremaia, a junior, checked in at 26 percent. Freshman point guard Anna DeWolfe (22 percent) and sophomore Kaitlyn Downey (21.5) followed. 

Fordham was a middle-of-the-road field goal shooting team. The Rams did not get a great deal of second chances, yet all that was offset by an outstanding turnover rate. They kept turnovers at a minimum. Cavanaugh, the team’s leading scorer (19.5 PPG), counted on as a first option especially in the clutch, checked in with an excellent turnover rate of just 5 percent. Defense, as noted, was the staple of Fordham’s success, not a full-court pressing variety but the type locking you down in half-court settings and often forcing a contested and/or unfavorable attempt as the shot clock  drained. 

Something that cannot be measured in numbers was resolve, the willingness to buy into what the staff was emphasizing. The Rams started 0-4. With a young team finding its way, that could spell trouble. Fordham never wavered, stayed together, promptly winning eight of its next nine before heading into A-10 play. They went 13-6 (including postseason) to finish third in conference play.

Next season, with everyone a year more experienced and under the tutelage of Gaitley and staff, winning ways should continue for the women at Rose Hill.