SPORTS

 

DAVIDSON, N.C. — Off to their best start in Atlantic 10 play, Davidson looks to keep the winning ways going Wednesday night when they play host to Richmond in women’s basketball inside John M. Belk Arena at 7 p.m.

The Wildcats (9-7, 3-0 A-10) are tied for first place in the league standings and are currently riding a three-game winning streak along with a five-game A-10 winning streak that dates back to the final two games of the regular season a year ago.

Richmond enters Wednesday’s game with a 3-13 overall mark and 0-3 in league play.

“Orange Out”
Wednesday’s game is Davidson’s second annual “Orange Out” game to raise money for Leukemia & Lymphoma and to honor current Wildcat Andrea Robinson, who a year ago went through Leukemia treatment, but is back on campus and doing great! To catch up with Andrea, click on the interview link above to hear how things are progressing for the junior.

Fans are encourage to wear orange and show their support. The athletic department will donate $1 per Davidson student that attends to the Leukemia foundation. Students are encouraged to come and break last year’s attendance of 652 and when the record is broken, there will be a raffle for one lucky qualifying Davidson student in attendance to win a $100 Amazon gift card.

Opening Tip …
•Davidson is in its 40th season and has collected 442 wins in program history.
•The ‘Cats are in their fifth year in the Atlantic 10 after a 21-year run in the SoCon.
•Davidson was picked 11th in the A-10 preseason poll, while Justine Lyon was all-second team.
•10 letterwinners return and three starters from a year ago, while three freshmen were added.
•Head coach Gayle Coats Fulks is in her second year (21-25) and has a 1-1 record against the Spiders.

Last Game Out at Rhode Island, Jan. 12 …
•Davidson used a pair of runs in the final two quarters to erase a 10-point deficit and remain perfect in Atlantic 10 play by pulling out a 77-67 road win at Rhode Island last Sunday.
•Down 48-38 in the third quarter, Davidson used an 18-7 run that spanned all the way to the 6:58 mark in the fourth quarter to grab a 56-55. Then, trailing 60-56 in the fourth, the ‘Cats closed the game on a 21-7 spurt to secure the comeback win.
•Katie Turner had a season-high tying 21 points, getting a career-high 11 of those at the free throw line, while Sarah Donovan scored 20 points for the second straight game. Justine Lyon had 18 points.
•The Wildcats, who went a season-best 24-for-32 at the free throw line, are off to their best A-10 start all-time and have won five straight league games dating back to last season.

A-10 Side Notes …
•Sarah Donovan (Jan. 14) and Justine Lyon (Dec. 17) have each been named A-10 Players of the Week, while Cassidy Gould (Dec. 17) has earned Rookie of the Week once.
•Davidson ranks among the top-5 in the A-10: points (1st, 68.8), free throw percentages (2nd, .732), 3-pointers made (1st, 7.4 per game), rebounds (3rd, 40.2) & assists (1st, 14.7).
•Sarah Donovan and Katie Turner are 8th in the league in scoring (13.3 per game), while Donovan is tops in rebounding (8.6). Turner is second in assists (4.1) and first in assist-to-turnover ration (2.1).
•Kianna Speight leads the league in three-pointers made (45) and is fourth in percentage (.409).

Wildcat All-Time Record Watch …
•Justine Lyon became the 20th player in program history to reach 1,000 points last year and currently sits in 11th place all-time with 1,230. The senior also ranks in the top-15 in: field goal made (11th, 450), and free throws made (8th, 251) / attempted (9th, 363).
•Kianna Speight has 111 career three-pointers for 10th-most all-time, while Katie Turner sits behind her with 108 career three-pointers and Lyon is 15th with 79 for her career.  

Random Notes …
•Davidson’s six non-conference wins were the most since earning six during the 2015-16 season.
•Lyon is riding an 8-game double figure scoring streak, averaging 17.1 ppg and 5.8 rpg in that time.
•Donovan has seven double-doubles this season to give her 10 on her career list.
•The ‘Cats’ 5-game A-10 winning streak in their longest since joining the league.
•Of the 351 athletic programs that have both men’s & women’s basketball programs, only 14 have both of their teams undefeated in conference play so far this year and Davidson is one of them.
•The Wildcats are 5-1 so far at home, their best start since going 7-1 during the 2012-13 season.
•Davidson is riding a four-game home winning streak, the longest since an eight-game streak that spanned from 2011-12 to 2012-13.
•N.C. State was the highest ranked opponent the ‘Cats had played since No. 7 Georgia (12/9/07).
•The ‘Cats’ 90 points at Clemson were the most since a 90-point outing vs. Wofford, Dec. 13, 2009.
•Davidson pulled in a season-high 24 offensive rebounds vs. George Mason, while hauling in a season-high 56 rebounds at Charl. Southern. Three times it has reached the 50-rebound mark.
•Four times Davidson has drilled double-digit three-pointers in a game, hitting 11 three times.
•The ‘Cats’ 38-point win at CSU was its biggest since Jan. 23, 2013 in an 88-48 win over UNCG.
•Davidson has had at least three double-digit scorers in 13 of the 16 games this year.
•Three times in a game the Wildcats have put at least five double-digit scorers in the books.

All-Time Series vs. Richmond …
•Davidson and Richmond have played seven times since first meeting during the 2013-14 season.
•Davidson split last year’s two meetings and has a 2-5 record in the series.

Scouting the Spiders …
•Richmond has lost its first three league games to Rhode Island, Fordham and VCU.
•Its latest defeat came to crosstown rival VCU, 68-43, last Saturday.
•The Spiders have yet to win a road game in six tries this season.
•Alex Parson paces the team with an 11.6 points per game average.
•Richmond went 14-17 last year with an 8-8 record in A-10 play.
•In this year’s preseason league poll, the Spiders were picked to finish 10th ahead of Davidson.
•Head coach Michael Shafer has won 217 games during his 14 years at the helm of the women’s program.

A Look Ahead …
Davidson remains at home to play Massachusetts this Sunday at 2 p.m.