SPORTS

 

OLEAN, NY — After leading for the entire first half, the Davidson Wildcats struggled to keep their rhythm in the second, as St. Bonaventure crawled back to win its second straight outing against the ‘Cats, 71-63. 

Trailing by as many as 10 points late in the first half, the Bonnies went on to outscore Davidson 23-11 in the third quarter and complete the season sweep. The Wildcats remained relentless though, as they pulled off an 11-0 run in the fourth, tying up the game at 52 points apiece late in the frame. Despite tying up the game, Bonaventure relied on its 52 percent shooting from the night to once again extend its lead and win the Atlantic 10 conference matchup.

Chloe Welch was Davidson’s leading scorer once again this evening, as the Colorado native finished the night with 23 points and six rebounds. Tonight was Welch’s fifth 20+ point effort on the year, in addition to her 13th double-digit scoring performance this season. Katie Turner and Suzi-Rose Deegan aided in the scoring column for the second straight night, as the duo each tallied 10 points of their own. 

The Wildcats jumped out to a strong start, and led 15-7 through the first quarter thanks to seven early points from Turner. By the opening minutes of the second frame, Davidson had extended its lead to 10, when Sarah Konstans sunk a driving layup. Konstans would strike again at the end of the half, as a mid-range jumper from the junior extended the Wildcats’ lead back up to six, despite the Bonnies closing in on the ‘Cats. 

Coming out of the break with Davidson leading 26-20, both teams were ready to surge in the second, as the two teams combined for eight made field goals in the first three minutes of work. With Bonaventure on their tails, the Wildcats hung onto a steady two-point lead, thanks to baskets from Adelaide Fuller and Deegan, before the Bonnies rattled off five straight points to take their first lead of the day, up 37-33 with 4:54 left on the third period clock.

Bonaventure had established its largest lead of the day, by the 8:38-mark of the fourth, with a solid 50-39 stronghold over the ‘Cats. Welch then took matters into her own hands, scoring four straight, in conjunction with her 16 fourth-quarter points, to pull the Wildcats back within five. Fuller and Deegan once again combined for clutch baskets, as the sophomores capped off an 11-0 Davidson run that saw Deegan drain a step back three-pointer and tie the game up at 52 all. Davidson’s comeback would end there though, as the Bonnies outscored the ‘Cats 19-11 over the final four minutes of play to secure the victory, 71-63.

The Wildcats will be back in action this Friday afternoon, as they play host to La Salle from inside Belk Arena. Tip off is slated for 2 p.m.