SPORTS

 

PHILADELPHIA – The Davidson Wildcats gained their first lead of the day with 1:54 left in regulation on Sunday afternoon, but the Saint Joseph’s Hawks closed out the Atlantic 10 Conference matchup with 10 made free throws over the final two minutes to take home the victory, 58-51.

Elle Sutphin and Chloe Welch led the ‘Cats offensively, scoring 16 and 15 points, respectively, while Cameron Tabor added nine points on three made 3-pointers. Cassidy Gould had a team-high seven rebounds and four assists, and Issy Morgan grabbed five boards and scored five points. The Wildcats finished the game shooting 18-55 from the field (32.7%) while the Hawks went 18-43 from the floor (41.9%).

Davidson played catch up during all four quarters in Hagan Arena on Sunday, trailing by as many as 11 points in the second quarter. The Wildcats came within four points of the Hawks on four occasions, before Tabor helped the ‘Cats cut their deficit to three, 46-43, on her third bucket of the day with 5:04 left in the game. The Hawks answered right back after Tabor’s trey, and sank a layup that pushed their lead back up to five, but Sutphin punched back with a 6-0 scoring tear that finally pushed Davidson in front of the Hawks, 49-48.

Issy Morgan would sink two more free throws for the Wildcats before the clock expired, but a 10-10 free throw effort from Saint Joe’s, over the final 1:23 of play, pushed the home team in front for good to capture the A-10 victory.

Davidson and Saint Joe’s finished the day evened up on rebounds 30-30, while the Hawks edged out the ‘Cats in the paint, 22-18. 

This Sunday loss came on the heels of a heartbreaking loss at home to the Hawks.

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Despite a combined 43 points from backcourt mates Cassidy Gould and Chloe Welch, the Saint Joseph’s Hawks rallied past the Davidson Wildcats in the fourth quarter on Friday afternoon to steal the Atlantic 10 victory, 67-66.

Both seniors had season-best shooting performances, as Welch scored a game-high 23 points, going 8-13 from the field and 4-5 from deep, while Gould scored 10 of the game’s first 20 points and finished with a season-high 20 points on 9-12 shooting.

The Wildcats ended the day shooting exactly 50.0 percent from both the field and from beyond the arc, and led by as many as 12 points in the third quarter before the Hawks stormed back with a 17-10 run in the fourth to capture the win.

After a back-and-forth start from the opening tip off, Gould’s 5-5 start from the floor allowed the ‘Cats to establish a 14-7 lead before SJU closed out the first frame on a 13-3 run to take a 24-19 lead after 10.

The Wildcats found an answer in the second however, scoring 26 points while shooting 81.8 percent (9-11) from the field and 85.7 percent (6-7) from deep. Welch led the ‘Cats on a 9-0 run to start things off, including back-to-back 3-pointers from the Colorado native, which pushed Davidson back in front of the Hawks, 34-30. With just over two minutes left in the half, and the Hawks on their heels, Cameron Tabor and Gould drained two more treys to extend the lead to 45-40 going into the break. 

Holding SJU to just 3-12 from the floor in the third, Davidson narrowly edged out the Hawks 11-10 to take a six-point, 56-50, lead going into the final frame of the day.

A 6-1 run from the visitors to start off the fourth made it a one-point game with 7:26 left to play. With clutch baskets from Welch and Issy Morgan, the Wildcats had a 63-57 lead at the 3:02-mark before SJU’s Tayla Bruger scored five straight and brought the game back within one, 63-62. Welch had one more bucket left in her before the clock expired, her fourth three of the day, but the Hawks answered right back with a 3-pointer and a give-and-go layup to seal the deal, 67-66.

The Hawks scored 20 second chance points compared to Davidson’s six, while winning the battle on the glass, 37-25.

Up Next
Davidson will continue its four-game road stretch on Wednesday, February 9 with a 7 p.m. tip off against Richmond.