‘Cats Open UTSA Thanksgiving Tournament With Impressive 70-55 Win

Friday, November 26

San Antonio, Texas

6:00 p.m.

Davidson College

1-4

North Texas

2-3

North Texas

Davidson

Kristen Johnsen hit a career-best eight field goals on her way to a 20-point game.

Photo by: Sideline Sports

‘Cats Open UTSA Thanksgiving Tournament With Impressive 70-55 Win

11/26/2010 8:34:27 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Gavin McFarlin -- Assistant SID

Box Score

SAN ANTONIO, Texas —Forwards Kristen Johnsen (Wayne, Pa.) and Sophia Aleksandravicius (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) combined for 43 points, with Johnsen tallying a double-double and Aleksandravicius setting a school-record for blocks, and Davidson shot a season-best 50 percent in opening the UTSA Thanksgiving Tournament in winning fashion, 70-55, over North Texas on Friday afternoon at the Convocation Center.

The 'Cats (2-3) shot 57.7 percent alone in the second half and were a season-best 28-of-56 for the game on their way to their first road win of the campaign. North Texas fell to 1-4, dropping its fourth straight.

Johnsen earned her third career double-double, finishing with a career-high 20 points and matching a personal-best with 14 rebounds. Her last three points of the game came on her third career make from behind the arc.

Aleksandravicius was just as solid on the blocks, finishing a career-best 11-of-17 from the floor for a team season-high 23 points and she added nine boards. The sophomore also set the single-game school mark for blocks when she swatted away a career-high seven shots. She has 21 blocks, 20 of them in the last four games, on the year.

San Antonio native Chloe Woodington (Honolulu, Hawaii), in front of friends and family, had an outstanding game. She closed just two points off her career-best, finishing with nine, including a pair of three-balls. She also dished out a new personal-best five assists and Davidson as a team dished out a season-best 20 assists on its 28 field goals.

The duo of Johnsen and Aleksandravicius took turns dominating each half, with Johnsen starting things off in the first period.

The first half saw Davidson jump out to a 13-4 advantage when Woodington drained a three-ball with 13:41 left in the half. The defense did its part, holding North Texas to just 1-of-10 shooting to start and 20 percent overall for the half.

Another Woodington long jumper made it 22-12 with a little over six minutes remaining, and shortly thereafter, Johnsen scored the next four Wildcat points for a 26-14 lead. Two of her points, her 10th and 11th of the half, came on a put-back off her 10th rebound to give her a double-double in the first half.

Davidson went into the break with a 34-19 advantage.

The second half started with North Texas' Denetra Kellum scoring eight of the Mean Green's first 10 points to cut the deficit to 38-29. Then Aleksandravicius took over, scoring eight straight in sparking a 16-6 run to push the Wildcats' lead out to 54-35 at the 10 minute mark and forcing North Texas to burn a timeout. Woodington and Laura Murray (Harrisburg, Pa.) capped the run off with back-to-back buckets.

Aleksandravicius went on to score 11 more points in the half for 19 of her 23 total points and Davidson maintained at least an eight-point lead the rest of the way in taking home the 15-point victory.

North Texas was led by Jasmine Godbolt's 18 points, 14 of those coming in the second half, and a game-high 16 rebounds. Kellum also clipped the double-digit mark with 10 points.

Davidson wraps up the UTSA Tournament with a 6 p.m. contest against host UTSA tomorrow. The 'Cats last played the Roadrunners in the 2005-06 season at the Rice Tournament, dropping a 75-69 decision.

GAME NOTES: The win was Davidson's first-ever vs. North Texas ... five players in all dished out at least three helpers in guiding the 'Cats to a season-high in assists ... Of the Wildcats' 70 points, 42 of them came in the paint, a season-high ... Murray also matched Johnsen in double figures for rebounds, hauling in a season-high 11 boards ... it's the second game in a row two 'Cats have had as least 10 or more boards in a game ... Davidson had its third game of the season with over 40 boards, getting 45, one off the team season-high ... it was Johnsen's first career 20-point game, while it was Aleksandravicius' fifth of her short career.