W. Basketball Opens 2008-09 Season With 75-48 Exhibition Win

Sunday, November 9

Davidson, N.C.

2:00 p.m.

Davidson College Athletics

Mars Hill College (Exh.)

Junior Julia Paquette filled the box score sheet with 13 points, five boards, three assists and added two blocks in the exhibition win

W. Basketball Opens 2008-09 Season With 75-48 Exhibition Win

11/9/2008 5:17:08 PM | Women's Basketball

Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID

BOX SCORE

The View From Press Row: It's Basketball Season (!)

DAVIDSON, N.C. -- Southern Conference Preseason Player of the Year senior Mercedes Robinson (Baltimore, Md.) led three Wildcats in double figures with a double-double as the Davidson women's basketball team opened up the 2008-09 season with a 75-48 exhibition victory over visiting Mars Hill College on Sunday at John M. Belk Area.

Robinson tallied a game-high 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting from the field and drained a couple of free throws, while hauling in 10 rebounds. The senior post player is the top returning scorer for the Wildcats as well as in the SoCon after averaging 12.7 points and 8.4 rebounds a game last year.

Also hitting double digits for Davidson were starters Julia Paquette (Stockbridge, Ga.) and Alex Thompson (Asheville, N.C.) with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

The duo hooked up to start the game as Paquette fed Thompson from the blocks for a three-pointer on the right wing and Davidson raced out to a 13-2 lead with a little over three minutes into the half. Thompson drained two three balls in that opening scoring burst and finished 4-of-7 behind the arc. She also filled the stat sheet with a game-high six assists and pulled down seven boards.

Davidson, which scored on five of its first six possessions to open the contest, pushed its lead out to 21 when Paquette and Robinson scored a combined 10 points during a five-minute stretch to put the score at 30-9 with 4:27 remaining in the half.

Back-to-back three-pointers by the Lions Bria Smith and Brittini Young of Mars Hill brought the score to 37-18, before the Wildcats netted the last four points for a 41-18 lead at halftime. The 'Cats' defense held the Lions scoreless during two five-minute stretches in the half on their way to the 23-point lead.

The second half gave some of the Wildcat freshmen a chance to get see some extended time on the floor as three of the four newcomers played a role in the half.

Kristen Johnsen (Wayne, Pa.) and Logan Hartman (New Wilmington, Pa.) scored eight points and hauled in eight boards combined in the frame to provide the offense and defense on the blocks. Johnsen had a good start to her collegiate career, finishing the contest with nine points and seven boards in 17 minutes off the bench.

Guard Amanda Ottaway (Hollidaysburg, Pa.), the third freshman to play in the half, chipped in with two points and a board, while dishing out an assist.

Davidson led by as many as 29 points the rest of the way in cruising to the 75-48 exhibition win.

The Lions were led by three players who scored in double figures, paced by Young's 14 points. Three of the guards' four buckets on the afternoon came from downtown. Also hitting the double-digit mark in points were Shamia Terry (10) and Jessica Blanford (10). Terry nearly had a triple-double as she closed out the game with nine boards and six assists.

The Wildcats will now gear up for the start of the 2008-09 regular season when they hit the road for their first six games. The 'Cats start at the Winthrop Hilton Garden Inn Classic, Nov. 15-16, where they will play Winthrop (3 p.m.) on the 15th and either Mississippi or North Carolina A&T in their second game of the classic on the 16th.

Game Notes: Davidson and Mars Hill last met each other during the regular season on Nov. 27, 1993 ... senior Mandy Halbersleben, who missed the final 13 games last year due to an injury, looked good in her return, scoring seven points and hauling in eight boards in 19 minutes ... the Wildcats hit 12-of-15 free throws in the contest ... 19 of their game-high 54 rebounds came on offensive end.