25 Points in First Eight Minutes Carries Wildcat Women to 75-62 Win
1/22/2007 12:29:19 PM | Women's Basketball
Sports Information - Gavin McFarlin
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- The Davidson women's basketball team raced out to a 25-6 lead through the first eight minutes of play and held on behind four Wildcat players who scored in double figures in picking up a 75-62 Southern Conference win over Appalachian State on Monday, Jan. 22 at John M. Belk Arena. Davidson, who won its fourth straight and snapped a two-game skid against the Mountaineers, upped its overall record to 17-3. The Wildcats also continued to hold strong to first place in the SoCon with an 8-1 record. ASU dropped its fourth game in the past five contests, falling to 9-11 overall and 3-6 in league play.
Redshirt Katie Hamilton (Lilburn, Ga.) led four 'Cats in double figures with 17 points, nine of them from behind the arc, while hauling in a game- and season-high nine boards off the glass, all in a season-best 37 minutes of action. Before the game, she was honored with a game ball from Saturday's contest when she became the 10th player in program history to score 1,000 points for her career.
Senior Tia Washington was right behind Hamilton, matching her season-high of 14 points on 3-of-4 shooting and a perfect 8-for-8 mark from the charity stripe. The senior point guard helped seal the win by scoring six of the Wildcats' last eight points, four of them from the line. Washington also dished out a game-high five assists to move her consecutive streak of dishing out at least one assist to 52 straight games dating back to Feb. 7, 2005.
Junior Danielle Hemerka (Blackwood, N.J.) and sophomore Mercedes Robinson (Mansfield, Texas) gave Davidson its third and fourth players in double figures with 12 points apiece.
A sizzling start from the floor helped Davidson open up a 21-point advantage at the 12:02 mark in the first half. The Wildcats hit 10 of their first 12 shots, with three of them coming from downtown in the first three minutes of action, for a 25-6 lead.
Davidson's defense held ASU scoreless for the first six minutes of play, till Shante Williams hit a short jumper in the paint at the 14:09 mark. The 'Cats forced the Mountaineers to turn the ball over five times in that span and 29 times overall for the game.
The Mountaineers though, started to chip away at the lead thanks to the Wildcats' sudden cold-shooting. After hitting for 25 points in those first eight minutes, Davidson could manage only four points over the next eight minutes. Appalachian closed the gap down to 12 points, 33-21, by halftime on a three-pointer by Maria Grimes, who hit for a game-high 19 points. Grimes was 4-of-8 from downtown, and chipped in with five rebounds and five steals.
Another Grimes' three-pointer and a layup by Whitney Tossie to start the second half, cut the Davidson lead down to nine points at 35-26. Davidson then used a quick 8-1 run to push the lead back out to 44-27 with 16:17 to go.
Appalachian State would not go away though, again thanks to Grimes. She scored eight of the Mountaineers' next 15 points to bring ASU within six at 47-41, causing Davidson to burn a timeout. Brittany Mixon scored the other seven points and closed out the game with 15, before fouling out at the 5:37 mark.
Davidson's answer was in guard-forward Hemerka. The junior hit a layup, three-pointer and jump shot in three of Davidson's next four possessions to push the lead back out to double digits at 56-45 with 10:03 remaining in the game. The Wildcats were never threatened the rest of the way, increasing their lead out to as much as 17, before closing out with a 75-62 victory.
Besides Grimes and Mixon, the Mountaineers placed two other players in double figures. Carleena Costner had 10 points off the bench, while Whitney Tossie, who came into the game with the second-best scoring average in the SoCon (16.4), dropped in an even 10 as well.
Davidson now will start its second go-around in SoCon play, starting with a visit to Greensboro, N.C. to face UNC Greensboro on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 3 p.m. The Wildcats are seeking a two-game sweep, having defeated the Spartans, 73-59, on Dec. 4 at home. Davidson will also make its first appearance of the season on television as the game will be broadcast by CSS.
