SPORTS

 

DAVIDSON, N.C. — In the thick of Atlantic 10 action, the Davidson Wildcats will play host to the Fordham Rams on Friday night to conclude their three-game homestand before turning around to take on the Rhode Island Rams in Kingston on Sunday.

Friday’s tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m., while the ‘Cats will meet Rhody for a 1 p.m. tilt on Sunday.

THE SERIES

• The Wildcats’ conference rival Fordham University comes to town on Friday with a 10-5 advantage in the all-time series.
• Dating back to the 2018-19 season, the ‘Cats and Rams have exchanged three wins apiece with Davidson going 2-1 in the Bronx and the Rams going 2-1 in Belk Arena.
• In all three of Davidson’s latest wins over Fordham, three ‘Cats have scored in double figures.
• Against Rhode Island, Davidson leads the series 6-4.
• The Wildcats have won five of the last seven meetings against Rhody, while the Rams currently sit in first place atop the A-10 standings with a 4-0 slate.

NEED TO KNOW
LAST TIME OUT… The ‘Cats fell in a heartbreaker in their last outing, falling 65-59 to the VCU Rams. Elle Sutphin (15), Cassidy Gould (13) and Chloe Welch (11) all scored in double-figures, but the Rams earned 33 points off Wildcat turnovers to escape with a win.

ABOUT FORDHAM… Fordham comes to Davidson after winning three of its first four Atlantic 10 match ups. The Bronx Rams defeated George Mason, VCU and George Washington in league play, but fell to La Salle, 71-62. Overall, the Rams are 12-4 with notable non-conference wins over (RV) Seton Hall and Quinnipiac. Led by Anna DeWolfe, who averages 20.2 points per game, the Rams average 64.9 points per game as a team while shooting 24.6 percent from the field this season.

THE SUTPHIN FILE… Forward Elle Sutphin joins the Wildcats for the 2021-22 campaign, after spending her first two seasons of college basketball with the NC State Wolfpack. The redshirt sophomore comes to Davidson after earning an ESPNW Scout Grade of 97 during high school, where she was the No. 39 ranked recruit in the class of 2020 and No. 1 across the state of North Carolina. Through 15 games, Sutphin averages 12.9 points per game and is shooting a team-best 53.9 percent from the field, which ranks fourth in the league, in a sixth woman role. The Pilot Mountain native has had 11 double-digit performances this year and earned an Atlantic 10 Player of the Week nod back on Dec. 27.

SCOUTING RHODY… Rhody will take on the Wildcats in the midst of a seven-game win streak, including a 4-0 start to league play. The Rams have four scorers averaging double-digits per game this season, including Emmanuelle Tahane, the league’s reigning Player of the Year, who averages 14.4 points per game and 9.2 rebounds.

THE DEPTH CHART… Davidson’s offensive spread is deep this season, as five Wildcats average 8 points or more per game and six different ‘Cats have all been a leading scorer for at least one game this year. Davidson is 5-2 on the year when three or more ‘Cats score in double-digits, and 2-1 when four Wildcats reach the double-figure threshold.