The ’Cats fell in consecutive matches over the weekend to Samford and Chattanooga. Losing 57-73 in the first and 54-65 in the second, they wrapped up a difficult road trip against the SoCon’s toughest competition.
On Saturday night, the team ventured south to Birmingham, AL to face the Samford Bulldogs, whom the ’Cats beat in overtime early in the year. From the opening tipoff, the game seemed destined in a similar direction, with Davidson hanging strong in the hostile arena.
The first half, though, marked the beginning of the Bulldogs’ shooting advantage that would carry throughout the game. They outshot the Wildcat offense 45.8 to 34.8 percent in the opening 20 minutes. Still, an even spread of Davidson shooters, including Kristen Johnsen ’12, Ashley Lax ’10 and Alex Thompson ’10, kept the score within reach. Down just 24-30 heading into the locker room, the team still held the game within reach.
But a quick offensive sprint out the second half gates left the Wildcat hopes in the backcourt. Samford’s shooting advantage nearly doubled, leading 60 to 35.4 percent. From behind the arc, they drained six more threes, adding a swath of points that the ’Cats couldn’t match.
Shot for shot, our team couldn’t compete, but our size beneath the glass prevented a blowout through the half. On her way to posting her first career double-double, Johnsen snagged 14 boards of Davidson’s 39 total. On offense, the ’Cats dominated the rebound tally 19 to 5, posting a flurry of second-chance points.
It wasn’t quite enough to take a bite out of the home team’s perimeter shooting. A Bulldog run to open the half widened the gap to double-digits with 12 minutes left to play, where it stood until the final buzzer.
Monday led the Wildcats into the mountains of Tennessee, where they engaged the program’s perennial rivals – the Chattanooga Mocs. Last year, Davidson recorded its first victory against Chat under our 100-win head coach Annette Watts. This year, at their place, as the number one team in the conference, they came out full steam ahead.
Reeling from the enduring Samford loss, the Wildcat offense came out hesitant and cautious, while their opponents capitalized on a slew of layups. Neither team shot particularly well all game, with the ’Cats making only five field goals in the first half, but the Mocs converted more close-range opportunities.
The rebound ratio never favored one team over the other, either. Shining a bright light on the future, the young Wildcat posts matched up well against their touted Chattanooga adversaries.
Sophia Aleksandravicius ’13 returned to her consistently fabulous spot in the stat column, notching 13 boards and 16 points. With this game, she crossed the 200 rebound threshold on the year, averaging over 8 a game.
For her final regular season away game, Thompson put in a stellar senior performance. She matched Aleksandravicius’s 16 points, propelling her over the 1,000-point threshold for her career. She becomes the 13th player in a Davidson women’s basketball jersey to carry that proud distinction.
Even with Lax adding a double-digit scoring tally, the Wildcat offense could not compete with the home team’s relentless shooting. The 16-point first half deficit turned out to be too high to surmount.
An improved second period, as the ’Cats maintained an advantage in shooting, should serve as an encouraging sign heading into this weekend’s matchups.
With the open road behind them and the friendly confines of Belk Arena waiting ahead, the team draws College of Charleston this Saturday at 7 p.m. This game will feature Davidson’s annual Pink Zone festivities for breast cancer awareness.
Strategically, the matchup represents the team’s last chance to take down one of the conference’s top three, following last weekend’s losses. The ’Cats follow the C of C game with a contest on Sunday at 7 p.m. against Georgia Southern, also in Belk Arena.
Thompson reaches 1,000 points, but Wildcats fall twice
Published: Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Updated: Wednesday, February 17, 2010
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