NEWS

Sophomore Maddie Plank in the game at Fordham. (photo by Dani Gariglio.)

BRONX, N.Y. – The Davidson Wildcats led the Fordham Rams for 23 minutes of Atlantic 10 action on Sunday afternoon, before the Rams charged back with a 53 percent shooting effort in the final quarter to win the conference opener, 67-64.

Fifth year guard Chloe Welch drained two free throws with 1:48 left in the game to tie things up at 59-all and with under a minute to go, trailing 63-59, Suzi-Rose Deegan scored five more points for the ‘Cats before the final buzzer sounded. In the final 30 seconds of play, Fordham converted on four-straight free throw opportunities to secure the victory. 

Overall, Davidson shot 44.1 percent from the floor and held the Rams to a season-low 0-for-11 from beyond the arc. Deegan led the Wildcats with 19 points and eight rebounds, and Elle Sutphin (18) and Chloe Welch (11) each scored in double-figures. 

The Davidson offense jumped right out of the gates in the New Year’s Day tilt, starting off on a 10-0 run and holding the Rams scoreless through the first five minutes of the game. The Rams responded with a 6-0 run of their own, but Deegan scored five straight to put the ‘Cats up 15-8 after the first quarter.

Sallie Schutz hit a trey to start off the second, before Sutphin drained a long two to give Davidson its second 10-point lead of the day, 20-10. From there, Fordham responded again with a 7-0 run and came back within one, 22-21, with five minutes remaining in the half. Before the break, Maddie Plank and Issy Morgan each drained a three-pointer that fastened the 34-31 halftime lead.

The Rams outscored the Wildcats 15-10 in the third quarter, and took their first lead of the day, 40-39, after three consecutive free throws. Welch tied things up at 42-all with a three-point play, but Fordham pulled away by four going into the final frame of the day and held onto the lead for good.

With the result, Davidson moves to 7-8 overall and 0-1 in conference play while the Rams improve to 9-5 and 1-0.

Up Next
The Wildcats will return home on Thursday, Jan. 5 to host La Salle University in Atlantic 10 action. Tip off is scheduled for 11 a.m. and will air on ESPN+ for the program’s annual Education Day.