Wildcats Hit 20-Win Plateau With 63-50 Victory Over Elon
2/13/2007 1:28:55 PM | Women's Basketball
Sports Information - Gavin McFarlin
DAVIDSON, N.C. -- The Davidson women's basketball team overcame a poor shooting first half to reach the 20-win mark for the first time in program history in their 63-50 win over Elon on Tuesday evening in their final home game of the season at Belk Arena. Eleven players scored for Davidson as they improved to 20-6 overall and 11-4 in SoCon play. Elon fell to 10-16 overall and 4-11 in league play.
The win marked the eighth straight for Davidson over Elon and moved the all-time series to 8-3 in favor of the Wildcats. Also with their win at Belk Arena, the Wildcats matched the 1997-98 and 1998-99 squads to earn 10 home wins in a single year. Davidson finished 10-2 this season at home.
Sophomore Mercedes Robinson (Mansfield, Texas) paced the Wildcat attack with a perfect night — 4-of-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from the charity stripe —on her way to 11 points. It was the second straight game she hit for double figures as she also hauled in eight boards off the glass.
Closely behind Robinson was senior Jessica Mitchell (Wilkesboro, N.C.) as she scored all 10 of her points in the second half, including the Wildcats' first six of the second stanza when Davidson used a 13-5 run to push its 27-24 halftime lead to double digits at 40-29.
Later, the senior guard connected on a three-point play, followed up by a three-ball from junior Honna Housley (Riceville, Tenn.) that increased the Davidson lead to 19 points (49-30) with 7:45 remaining. Elon, who was held to six points in the first 12 minutes of the second half, never threatened the rest of the way and Davidson cruised to the 63-50 win.
The first half saw neither team light it up from the floor. Through the first ten minutes of play both teams combined for only 17 points, with Davidson hitting just two of its first 11 shots from the field. The Wildcats finished the first period 10-for-29 (34.5 percent), but turned it around in the second stanza with a 13-of-27 performance to close the game out at 41.1 percent.
Davidson found itself down the majority of the first half, tying it twice to only see Elon then pull ahead on their next possession. Tierra Bumbrey carried the Phoenix early with eight points in the half and closed out the contest with a game-high and season-high tying 19 points. She added five rebounds to go along with her three assists and three steals.
Davidson finally found a little offensive rhythm in the last 2:46 of the half, taking its first lead, 21-20, on junior Danielle Hemerka's (Blackwood, N.J.) free throw. The junior post player went on to score five of her seven points at the line and pulled down a team-best nine rebounds.
A Robinson layup along with a runner in the lane by senior Tia Washington (Charlotte, N.C.) before the buzzer sounded helped carry the Wildcats into halftime with a 27-24 lead.
The Wildcat defense forced Elon into 28 miscues, 15 of them in the first half and scored 26 points off the Phoenix mistakes. Hemerka pocketed a career-high six of Davidson 11 steals.
Davidson hits the road for its final three regular-season games, starting with a trip to Wofford on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 1 p.m. The Wildcats are looking to make it 11 straight against the Terriers and seeking its third straight series sweep against a SoCon foe, having done so already against Georgia Southern and Elon the past two games.
