NEWS

 

DAVIDSON, N.C. — The Davidson women’s basketball team will close out 2022 with their final non-conference game against the Morgan State Bears on Wednesday evening.

Tip off is slated for 5 p.m. from inside Belk Arena and will air on ESPN+. Complete game coverage can be found at davidsonwildcats.com/coverage.

THE SERIES

• Wednesday will be the first ever meeting between Davidson College and Morgan State.
• The Morgan State Bears will be the first Historically Black College & University (HBCU) that the ‘Cats have faced since December 2015 when Davidson played South Carolina State.
• The Wildcats are 2-2 all-time against HBCU’s, with a win over South Carolina State and N.C. Central and two losses to NC A&T.

LAST TIME OUT… After trailing by as many 12 points in the first half, the Davidson women’s basketball team put together a 14-4 run to come from behind and defeat the Charlotte 49ers 68-55 in the inaugural 704 Cup game. Davidson relied on two-straight 20-point quarters to come back after trailing 15-7 in the first. Charlotte shot 53.8 percent from the floor in the first quarter to take its early lead, before the Wildcats’ defense stifled the 49ers into just 29.7 percent shooting over the final three quarters of play.

SUTPHIN’S SURGING… Redshirt-junior Elle Sutphin is producing at a high level in her second season with the Wildcats. With 668 career points through 46 games in a Davidson uniform, Sutphin is averaging 17.3 points per game this season while shooting 52 percent from the field. The North Carolina native has scored the first two double-doubles of her career this year, while ranking 20th in the nation in made field goals (90) and 60th in field goal percentage.

MILESTONE MARKERS… Davidson women’s basketball is closing in on 500 wins in the 44th season of the program’s history. After last week’s win over Charlotte, the ‘Cats have captured win #499 in what is believed to be one of the first trophy games in women’s college basketball. [see editor’s note] Other milestones on the horizon are two newcomers to the 1,000-point club as fifth year Chloe Welch has 964 career points to date and senior Suzi-Rose Deegan has 894.

NOTEWORTHY… The Wildcats have shot 50 percent or better in five games this season and are 4-1 when reaching that mark. Davidson also ranks 88th in the nation and fourth in the Atlantic 10 with a 43.4 field goal percentage this year.

 

Editor’s Note: In 1986, Davidson Women’s Basketball won the last 3 games of their season, giving them the first winning season in more than a decade. They finished the season with a tournament win at Meredith College. First year player Lavetta Dawkins was the tournament MVP. Despite the winning season, the women’s basketball program was cut at the end of the 1986 season. The sport did not return to Davidson until the 1991-92 season, when the NCAA required the college to reinstate the program.