Free Throws Carry Davidson to 75-66 OT Win at UNCG

Saturday, February 8

Greensboro, N.C.

2:00 p.m.

Davidson College

12-11, 9-3SoCon

UNCG

5-17, 1-10SoCon

OT 1

Davidson

UNCG

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

Free Throws Carry Davidson to 75-66 OT Win at UNCG

2/8/2014 5:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID

Box Score (html)
DavidsonPhotos.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Junior Shannon Eriksson hit 7-of-8 free throws in overtime and Davidson scored all 13 of its extra-period points at the charity stripe in taking a 75-66 road win at UNCG Saturday afternoon in Fleming Gym in Southern Conference women's basketball.

Davidson (12-11, 9-3 SoCon) escaped with its ninth league win and gave head coach Michele Savage her 50th career SoCon victory, which is second-most in the program's coaching history. The Wildcats did it all despite blowing a 17-point lead in the second half.

Eriksson finished with 14 points and was joined by three other Wildcats in double digits. Senior Laura Murray dropped in a game-high tying 15 points to go with five boards and four steals. Fellow senior Shneeka Center came off the bench for 14 points and nine rebounds, while hitting a career-best 10-of-12 free throws. Sophomore Dakota Dukes scored 12 – 10 of which came in the second half.

The Spartans (5-17, 1-10 SoCon) also put four in double figures, led by William Bailey's 15 points. Janae Stevenson (13), Lucy Mason (12) and Shanese Harris (10) followed in double digits as well.

Bailey led the charge back for UNCG from a 55-38 second-half deficit with 13 points in half, including the final seven Spartan points, with the last two coming at the 15-foot line to close out regulation and push the game into overtime.

The 'Cats had a chance to win it before the final buzzer in regulation, but Murray's long-range try from the right wing went off the iron.

In overtime, Davidson fell behind 65-62 to start, but came back to hit 11 straight free throws over the next four minutes to take control of the game. The Wildcats finished the afternoon going a season-best 25-of-28 at the free-throw line.

Dukes, who sat out much of the first half with two fouls, helped the Wildcats build their 17-point advantage in the second half with six straight points that made it 55-38, but Bailey started the Spartan comeback with the first of three triples she hit in the half.

Playing against a UNCG zone most of the game, Murray made the Spartans pay early in the first half with three straight shots from downtown for a 16-12 lead. Davidson as a team drilled home half of their 10 first-half field goals from behind the arc, with junior Lillian McCabe (nine points) hitting two of her three triples in the first half.

Before the period ended, a three-point play by Center with 10 ticks left gave the Wildcats a 28-21 halftime lead.

It was a sloppy first period for both teams as they combined for 28 turnovers, 16 of them by UNCG, which finished with 22 overall.

The Spartans held a 50-41 edge on the glass, pulling in 22 of those rebounds on the offensive end.

Neither team shot well on the day with the Wildcats finishing at 33.9 percent, but they did hit eight three-pointers. UNCG shot just 33.8 percent, including a 1-for-9 showing in overtime.

Davidson stays on the road for a 7 p.m. tip against Elon Monday, Feb. 10. The 'Cats took a 67-62 home win in the first meeting.

GAME NOTES: Davidson won its eighth straight in the all-time series vs. the Spartans and 14th in the last 17 meetings overall … the two teams also played an overtime game a year ago in Greensboro, with Davidson prevailing as well in that game … head coach Michele Savage improved to 8-1 vs. UNCG ... all eight Wildcats scored, marking the eighth time this year it has happened in a game … for the second straight game, Davidson's bench produced a season-high 21 points.