SPORTS
Women’s Basketball Secures Second-Straight A-10 Win
Deegan was 5 for 8 behind the arc, but she also took it to the rim against Duquesne.
DAVIDSON, N.C. – Suzi-Rose Deegan scored a game-high 24 points and nailed her fifth 3-pointer of the game with 21 seconds remaining on Saturday afternoon, securing Davidson’s sixth straight win and 11th of the season with a 73-67 victory over Duquesne.
With the win, the Wildcats improved to 2-0 in Atlantic 10 play, 11-3 overall and 5-1 from inside Belk Arena this season.
In a game that featured 10 lead changes and five tied scores, Davidson led 68-67 with 44 seconds remaining. After an inbound pass from Issy Morgan, Deegan came off a screen from Elle Sutphin and drilled the long-range basket to seal the A-10 victory.
The Australia native ended the day shooting 9-of-13 from the field and 5-of-8 from deep while grabbing seven rebounds. Fellow Aussies Cassidy Gould and Morgan joined Deegan in double-digits, as Gould notched 15 points and Morgan scored 13 with a pair of 3-pointers.
Duquesne ended the first half with a 37-35 advantage after the Dukes’ own Tess Myers scored three-straight 3-pointers to end the frame and had six made treys by the halftime break. The Wildcats, who shot just 32 percent in the first half, turned things up in the second and won the game with a 50 percent (13-of-26) effort over the final 20 minutes of play.
The Dukes jumped out to a 7-1 run in the opening minutes of the second half, and pushed their lead to 44-36 for the largest lead of the game. Forcing the Wildcats into a timeout, Davidson came out of the break ready to surge with a 13-0 run including four made 3-pointers from Cameron Tabor, Morgan and Deegan. Redshirt-freshman Sallie Schutz added a three of her own to the score sheet, pushing the ‘Cats back in front of the Dukes 55-50 by the end of the third period.
As the Wildcats looked to close out the game comfortably, Davidson extended its lead to 64-54 on a 7-0 run after Gould traveled coast-to-coast and completed a three-point play. The Dukes weren’t done however, capping off an 11-0 scoring run of their own and pulling back within two of the ‘Cats, 66-64. Duquesne’s Megan McConnell had one more 3-pointer left to add before time expired, making it a one-point game, 68-67, before Deegan sealed the deal with her go-ahead triple.
On the day, seniors Gould and Chloe Welch combined for a 13-of-13 effort from the free throw line, while the Wildcats beat the Dukes on the glass, 38-30 in rebounds.
Up Next
Davidson returns home for its second straight match up inside Belk Arena on Wednesday night, set to take on VCU at 7 p.m.