Thompson's Personal-best 20 Paces 'Cats to 70-59 SoCon Win at UNCG

Friday, January 18

Greensboro, N.C.

7 p.m.

Davidson College Athletics

at UNC Greensboro

In addition to her career-best 20 points, Thompson also pocketed three steals and hauled in three boards.

Thompson's Personal-best 20 Paces 'Cats to 70-59 SoCon Win at UNCG

1/18/2008 8:04:22 PM | Women's Basketball

Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID

Box Score

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Sophomore Alex Thompson (Asheville, N.C.) scored a career-high 20 points and dished out five assists to lead three Wildcats in double digits, and the Davidson women's basketball team secured a 70-59 Southern Conference road win over UNC Greensboro on Friday night at Fleming Gym.

Davidson won its second straight to improve to 10-7 overall and 4-2 in league play, while UNCG lost its ninth in the past 11 games to fall to 3-15 overall and 1-6 in SoCon action.

Thompson was very efficient from the field, canning five of her eight shots and matching her career-high with three treys. The rest of her points came at the charity stripe where the sophomore point guard went a season-best 7-of-8.

Matching Thompson in double figures was junior Mercedes Robinson (Baltimore, Md.), who scored 10 of her 16 points in the second half, and senior co-captain Danielle Hemerka (Blackwood, N.J.) with 14 points. The two post players combined to shot 11-for-19 from the field as Davidson as a team hit a season-best 51.1 percent of its shots for the game.

Davidson ran off a 20-9 run to start the game, finished off by a three-pointer and running hook shot by freshman Ashley Lax (Little Rock, Ark.). Hemerka and Thompson also each hit a trey apiece in the run as Davidson hit five three-pointers for the half (5-of-10) and eight on the evening.

Later, Thompson went on a streak of her, scoring eight straight Wildcat points to help Davidson double-up UNC Greensboro, 30-15, with 5:27 left in the half. Thompson went off for 13 first-half points on her way to her career-high.

Davidson finished the half shooting 48 percent, it's second straight game it shot better than 45 percent in the first half, and went into halftime up 37-24.

After leading by double figures for almost 30 minutes, Davidson had to weather a Spartan run midway through the second half.

Trailing 46-32, UNC Greensboro rattled off a 10-2 spurt over a three and half minute stretch that brought the Spartans to within seven at 49-42 with 8:33 left in the contest. Gini Grimsley started the run with a three-ball and added another during the spurt as the Spartan sharp-shooter hit five three-pointers for the game on her way to a team-best 15 points.

Kelsey Cary (San Anselmo, Calif.) pushed the lead back out to double digits with a bucket inside at the 5:08 mark, but UNCG pocketed a steal and got a jumper two possessions later to cut it back to nine at 60-51.

Thompson and Robinson halted any Spartan idea of a comeback after that with back-to-back shots from downtown on Davidson's next two trips down the court and the Wildcats went on for the 70-59 win.

UNCG also placed Jasmine Dixon (13) and Brittany Frazier (11) in double figures as it shot 45.1 percent from the field, including 57.1 percent in the second half.

Davidson took advantage of 27 Spartan turnovers and turned them into 28 offensive points.

Davidson remains on the road for its next conference tilt with a game at Elon on Monday, Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.

Game Notes: Davidson shot even better in the second half, hitting 54.5 percent of its shots ... the Spartans won the rebounding battle at 35-28 and held Davidson to just six offensive rebounds, the first time this year the Wildcats did not hit double figures in offensive rebounds ... the Wildcats scored 26 points in the paint ... the win for Davidson was just its ninth in the all-time series.