NEWS
Women’s Basketball Defeats Saint Joe’s, Advance to A-10 Semifinals
Katie Donovan for three. (News of Davidson photo)
HENRICO, Va. – All 11 Wildcats who saw playing time got on the scoreboard, and their balanced effort powered a 64–59 win over Saint Joseph's Friday afternoon, paving Davidson's way into the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals.
That sets up a matchup with the top-seeded Rhode Island Rams at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Henrico Sports and Events Center.
With Friday's win, Davidson advanced to the semifinal round for the second consecutive season, while improving to 21-11 on the season. The win also moved head coach Gayle Fulks into a tie with Annette Watts for the most victories in program history with 144.
Head coach Gayle Fulks (News of Davidson photo)
Leading the way for the Wildcats was Katie Donovan, who scored a team-high 13 points on 3-for-5 shooting from three and a 4-for-4 day from the charity stripe. Charlise Dunn followed close behind with 12 points and five rebounds, including a crucial drawn charge in the final minute of the game to seal the win.
As a team, the 'Cats shot 41 percent from the floor and outscored the Hawks in bench points 28-5. Candice Lienafa (9), Emilie Bessell (8), Angeliki Ziaka (6) and Elena Alvarez Castellanos (6) all made huge impacts in supporting roles for the Wildcats. Davidson shot 41 percent from beyond the arc and 80 percent from the charity stripe.
Davidson jumped out to an early advantage and led 17-10 after one quarter after generating 10 points of five turnovers. The Hawks rallied in the middle quarters, outscoring the 'Cats 34-29 to cut the deficit to two points entering the fourth quarter.
Saint Joseph's took a three-point lead with 4:52 left, but was held to just two made field goals for the rest of the way. The 'Cats drew even with a Dunn three-pointer and brought the game home with six made free throws.
News of Davidson photo and video album from the game.