NEWS

 

Introduction from News of Davidson Sports

The Wildcat Women’s Basketball team is LEGIT!

The team is 3-1 on the season, but there is a lot more than those already impressive numbers. Tonight the Wildcats handed Duke an unexpected loss on their home court in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The ‘Cats opened up their season with a decisive win over USC Upstate, and then had a big win at home in Belk Arena win over Wake Forest.

The next day, they were on the road at Carmichael taking on the UNC Tar Heels. And any suggestion that the Saturday afternoon win over Wake had been a fluke was put to rest in Chapel Hill. The ‘Cats held their own and finished the Sunday night game with a 74-70 loss against the #16 Tar Heels.

Tonight’s 69-62 win over the Blue Devils was the Wildcats first victory in the series since 1978.

There has not been a single standout star in the ‘Cats amazing season start. In each of the games, scoring has been spread across several players showing the depth of the talent the ‘Cats have on the court and the bench.

The Wildcats are dropping threes from outside the arc, but also driving to the basket showing their deft ball handling skills.

Tonight eight players had time on the court, with five Wildcats on the court for more than 30 minutes.

Elle Sutphin led the ‘Cats scoring with 19 points, but three other ‘Cats had double digits: Rosie Deegan with 18, Charlise Dunn with 15, and Issy Morgan with 10.

The Wildcats continue their road trip with a Saturday game against Morgan State University.

When the ‘Cats come back home, they will be playing in John Belk Arena for a 6-game homestand. Get your tickets now. You don’t want to miss watching these Wildcats!

Here’s the Davidson Sports Information story about the game:

DURHAM, N.C. – For the second time in less than a week, Davidson has knocked off an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, as the Wildcats upset No. 22 Duke, 69-62, Thursday evening inside historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The ‘Cats, who edged Wake Forest last Saturday in Davidson, improve to 3-1 on the young season with their first win over the Blue Devils since the two schools’ first met in 1978. It also marks the first time the Wildcats have defeated a pair of ACC foes in the same season in 29 years. Additionally, the win marks the first over a ranked opponent in program history with the Blue Devils ranking 22nd in the most recent coaches poll and receiving votes in the Associated Press poll.

Davidson, which led for almost 38 minutes, drilled 9-of-18 3-pointers to go along with a 16-of-22 performance at the charity stripe. It also forced Duke (3-1) into 19 miscues turning them into 21 points at the other end.

In addition to becoming the 23rd player in program history to hit the 1,000-point plateau, Elle Sutphin paced four Wildcats in double figure with a game-high 19 points on 3-of-4 from behind the 3-point arc and a perfect 6-of-6 at the line.

Sutphin hit the milestone midway through the third quarter when she canned another trey matching Davidson’s largest lead of the evening, 47-33.

Suzi-Rose Deegan added 18 points and 4 steals in 38 minutes of action, while Charlise Dunn scored 15 off the bench and Issy Morgan had 10.

Trailing early in the contest, the Wildcats went in front for good on a 3-pointer and layup from Deegan, which sparked an 8-0 spurt en route to a 15-11 lead at the end of first.

The Blue Devils cut the deficit to one early in the second, but the ‘Cats had another answer, this time with a 12-2 spurt stretching their advantage to double digits, 27-16, on a Sutphin triple. Davidson’s lead grew to as many as 14 before leading 39-27 at the half.

Sutphin and Dunn led all players at the break with 10 points each for the Wildcats, who shot 54 percent, including 6-of-10 from deep in the first 20 minutes.

After Duke got to within seven, 50-43, to conclude the third quarter, Davidson pushed the margin back to double figures with a Dunn trey and Deegan layup on consecutive possessions to all but put the game out of reach.

Camilla Emsbo was the lone Blue Devil to crack the 10-point plateau with 11 points.

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