SPORTS

 

DAVIDSON, N.C.  — Despite hitting 12 three-pointers and having all eight players score, Davidson was unable to shake off a poor second half in falling 70-62 to Massachusetts Sunday afternoon in Atlantic 10 women’s basketball inside John M. Belk Arena.

The setback snapped the Wildcats’ (13-8, 6-2 A-10) three-game home winning streak and was just their second in league play. UMass moved to 16-6 overall and 6-3 in A-10 action.

Davidson was held to 23 second-half points on just 9-of-30 shooting from the floor, including only 3-for-17 from behind the arc. It offset a hot first half that saw the ‘Cats hit nine three-pointers, with six of them in the second quarter when they scored 28 points to go up 39-26 at the break.

UMass went off for 44 second-half points, including outscoring the ‘Cats 24-8 in the third quarter when it erased the 13-point deficit and took a 50-47 lead heading to the fourth.

The Minutewomen had a pair of 20-point scorers in Sam Breen with 26 points and Hailey Leidel with 25. Breen added 11 rebounds and UMass had a 43-39 edge on the glass with 16 offensive rebounds.

Suzi-Rose Deegan led the ‘Cats with 18 points and Chloe Welch dropped in 13, as the duo hit three shots each from downtown. Katie Turner had eight points and eight assists, while Cameron Tabor scored eight with six rebounds and two assists off the bench.

Deegan and Welch nailed back-to-back threes with 3:52 to go that brought the Wildcats within one at 58-57. A few seconds later, a Deegan jumper made it 60-59, but it was as close as the Wildcats would get. UMass used a 10-3 run to close out the game.

The game opened with Davidson down 11-3 before ending the first quarter within one at 12-11 after a buzzer-beating three by Sarah Konstans.

Davidson carried that momentum into the second quarter when it went 11-of-18 from the floor and 6-for-9 from three-land in turning a 23-21 deficit into a 39-26 lead at halftime. The Wildcats hit four of their triples in the final five minutes to pull ahead.

The lead was at 45-38 with 4:48 in the third quarter until UMass overtook the ‘Cats with a 12-2 run, capped off by a three-pointer before the buzzer sounded to end the quarter up 50-47.

Davidson stays at home and will host Dayton Wednesday at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES: This was ninth meeting all-time between both team’s women’s basketball programs …. Davidson trails 6-3 in the series …. the Wildcats fell to 6-2 at home and also had their three-game home A-10 streak halted … Davidson finished 12-of-32 from behind the arc and dished out a game-high 16 assists … Deegan has scored in double figures in 16 of the past 18 games … Turner moved closer to 1,000 career points, sitting now at 947.