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SPORTS

Women’s Basketball on a 6-Game Winning Streak

by | Jan 5, 2021 | News, Sports

Cassidy Gould making free throws at the end of the game. [screenshot from ESPN+]

 

DAVIDSON, N.C. — As the outcome came down to the wire, for the second game in a row, the Davidson Wildcats relied on their fourth-quarter free throw shooting this afternoon, to ultimately prevail and defeat George Mason, 61-57, inside Belk Arena.

With the win, Davidson remains undefeated in A-10 play, at 3-0, and is the only team in the league with three wins. The victory over the Patriots also marks the Wildcats’ sixth straight win this season, setting the program’s longest win streak since Davidson won six in a row from Jan. 20 to Feb. 9, 2013.

Wildcats for the win – the 6th straight. [screenshot from ESPN+]

Three ‘Cats scored in double-figures, for the seventh straight game, as Cameron Tabor led the day with 12 points, followed by Cassidy Gould and Katie Turner who scored 11 and 10 points, respectively. Turner also dished five assists, for the sixth time this season, and had a game-high +10 while on the floor.

After a slow start, Davidson and George Mason were tied up at just nine points apiece through the first quarter. The Wildcats finally found their groove in the second, when Chloe Welch and Tabor exchanged three-pointers on two consecutive possessions and took a 15-13 lead over the Patriots. As 3:11 remained in the half, Kelly Fitzgerald drained a pull-up jumper from the top of the key to kickstart a 9-4 Wildcat run, allowing Davidson to pull away to a 31-27 lead by halftime. Through the second quarter, the ‘Cats shot a game-best 56.3 percent from the floor, off 9-of-16 shooting and shot 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Davidson carried its strong second frame efforts into the third, as Turner opened up the half with a jumper off a Welch steal. Welch then hit a layup of her own, with 7:46 on the clock, as the ‘Cats expanded their lead to 35-27. In holding the Patriots to only 12 third-quarter points, Davidson led by as many as 14 points through the stretch, and went into the final 10 minutes of work with a solid 51-39 point lead intact.

The Patriots would be the ones to outscore the ‘Cats in the last frame, however, as Davidson shot just 22.2 percent from the field and were outdone 18-10 by George Mason. Fortunately for the Wildcats, the Patriots were never able to clip Davidson’s lead. With 2:19 to go in regulation, Suzi-Rose Deegan hit a far-side trey that pushed the lead to 56-51 and seemed to put the game out of reach. However, George Mason remained resilient, and the ‘Cats would come to count on their free throws down the stretch, as Turner and Gould hit five of their final six from the charity stripe to lock in the Wildcats’ 61-57 win.

Davidson will return to play next Friday night for a 5 p.m. tip off at UMass, before taking on Rhode Island on Sunday, Jan. 10, on CBSSN.

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