Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Davidson Wraps Season Up With End of Year Banquet
4/24/2014 9:34:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. — Fourth-year head coach Michele Savage and the Davidson women's basketball team held their annual end of the year banquet Wednesday evening, April 23, after another successful season in 2013-14.
The Wildcats honored their two seniors Laura Murray and Shneeka Center with framed jersey's as well as senior awards, while handing out three team awards. Murray took home the Most Outstanding and the Captain's Awards, while sophomore Dakota Dukes was honored with the Most Improved Award and junior Hannah Early was given the Wildcat Award.
Leading the charge all season was Murray, who had a senior campaign for the record books. The shooting guard became the program's all-time leading scorer with her last bucket in the Southern Conference Championship game, giving her 1,880 career points to surpass Sophia Aleksandravicius, who had set the record the season before with 1,878 points. Murray also became the program's all-time leader in made and attempted three-pointers (222-647) and field goals attempted (1,623). In addition, the guard's senior season saw her set the single-season Wildcat record for points with 617, field goals attempted and free throws attempted. Murray's 207 made field goals and 141 made free throws were second-most in a single season.
Murray was named to both the coaches and media All-SoCon First Team this year, giving her first-team honors on the coaches squad three years in a row to join Aleksandravicius as the only players to earn the accomplishment three times. She earned a spot on the SoCon All-Tournament First Team for the third straight year to become the first player in program history to accomplish the feat. A three-time all-league preseason pick, Murray was also named to the College Sports Madness All-SoCon First Team. She was a three-time SoCon Player of the Week this year and was awarded the league's player of the month for December, the first of her career.
The senior, who started all but one of her 130 career games, finished her career scoring in double figures in 98 games, 31 of them this year, with 33 of those games reaching the 20-point plateau — 16 came this year. The 33 games of 20 points or more are the most in the program dating back to 1992-93.
Sophomore foward Dukes had a breakout second-year after a solid freshman campaign. After earning all-league freshman team honors in 2012-13, Dukes was named to this year's all-league first team by the coaches and earned a spot on the media's second team after averaging 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Dukes recorded a career-high nine double-doubles, good for a fourth-place tie in the SoCon. She had a pair of 30-point outings in wins vs. Wofford and finished the year scoring in double digits 25 times to give her 31 through two seasons.
Dukes joined Murray on the league's all-tournament first team and was a College Sports Madness All-SoCon Third Team pick. The sophomore put her name in the Wildcat record books by setting the single-season mark for free throws made with 147 in 193 attempts, which were second-most behind Murray's 196 this year.
One of the best long-range shooters in the SoCon this year, Early gave Davidson three players who averaged in double digits with a career-high 13.3 points per game. She led the league in three-point shooting by nailing 41.7 percent of her attempts, while her 63 made triples were second-most in the league and fourth-most in a Wildcat single season. Early recorded three double-doubles and finished the season scoring in double figures 21 times, including eight in the 20-point column.
The trio helped the Wildcats reach the SoCon Championship game for the second straight year and third time in program history. Murray and Dukes each had solid tournament runs. Murray averaged 22.7 points and shot 57.9 percent, setting program bests in: points (68), field goals made and attempted (25-56) and three-pointers made and attempted (11-19). Dukes was just as good, averaging 15 points, seven rebounds and shooting 53.3 percent in three games.
Though they came up short of winning the program's first league tournament title, the 'Cats still finished 11-7 in their final year in SoCon play and 16-16 overall. It was the 11th time in the past 12 years Davidson recorded at least 10 wins in league play. Davidson concluded its 21-year run (1993-94 to 2013-14) in the SoCon with a 203-164 record and won the 2011-12 regular season title with a school-best 17-3 league mark. The Wildcats will move to the Atlantic 10 starting next year.
The Wildcats honored their two seniors Laura Murray and Shneeka Center with framed jersey's as well as senior awards, while handing out three team awards. Murray took home the Most Outstanding and the Captain's Awards, while sophomore Dakota Dukes was honored with the Most Improved Award and junior Hannah Early was given the Wildcat Award.
Leading the charge all season was Murray, who had a senior campaign for the record books. The shooting guard became the program's all-time leading scorer with her last bucket in the Southern Conference Championship game, giving her 1,880 career points to surpass Sophia Aleksandravicius, who had set the record the season before with 1,878 points. Murray also became the program's all-time leader in made and attempted three-pointers (222-647) and field goals attempted (1,623). In addition, the guard's senior season saw her set the single-season Wildcat record for points with 617, field goals attempted and free throws attempted. Murray's 207 made field goals and 141 made free throws were second-most in a single season.
Murray was named to both the coaches and media All-SoCon First Team this year, giving her first-team honors on the coaches squad three years in a row to join Aleksandravicius as the only players to earn the accomplishment three times. She earned a spot on the SoCon All-Tournament First Team for the third straight year to become the first player in program history to accomplish the feat. A three-time all-league preseason pick, Murray was also named to the College Sports Madness All-SoCon First Team. She was a three-time SoCon Player of the Week this year and was awarded the league's player of the month for December, the first of her career.
The senior, who started all but one of her 130 career games, finished her career scoring in double figures in 98 games, 31 of them this year, with 33 of those games reaching the 20-point plateau — 16 came this year. The 33 games of 20 points or more are the most in the program dating back to 1992-93.
Sophomore foward Dukes had a breakout second-year after a solid freshman campaign. After earning all-league freshman team honors in 2012-13, Dukes was named to this year's all-league first team by the coaches and earned a spot on the media's second team after averaging 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Dukes recorded a career-high nine double-doubles, good for a fourth-place tie in the SoCon. She had a pair of 30-point outings in wins vs. Wofford and finished the year scoring in double digits 25 times to give her 31 through two seasons.
Dukes joined Murray on the league's all-tournament first team and was a College Sports Madness All-SoCon Third Team pick. The sophomore put her name in the Wildcat record books by setting the single-season mark for free throws made with 147 in 193 attempts, which were second-most behind Murray's 196 this year.
One of the best long-range shooters in the SoCon this year, Early gave Davidson three players who averaged in double digits with a career-high 13.3 points per game. She led the league in three-point shooting by nailing 41.7 percent of her attempts, while her 63 made triples were second-most in the league and fourth-most in a Wildcat single season. Early recorded three double-doubles and finished the season scoring in double figures 21 times, including eight in the 20-point column.
The trio helped the Wildcats reach the SoCon Championship game for the second straight year and third time in program history. Murray and Dukes each had solid tournament runs. Murray averaged 22.7 points and shot 57.9 percent, setting program bests in: points (68), field goals made and attempted (25-56) and three-pointers made and attempted (11-19). Dukes was just as good, averaging 15 points, seven rebounds and shooting 53.3 percent in three games.
Though they came up short of winning the program's first league tournament title, the 'Cats still finished 11-7 in their final year in SoCon play and 16-16 overall. It was the 11th time in the past 12 years Davidson recorded at least 10 wins in league play. Davidson concluded its 21-year run (1993-94 to 2013-14) in the SoCon with a 203-164 record and won the 2011-12 regular season title with a school-best 17-3 league mark. The Wildcats will move to the Atlantic 10 starting next year.
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