'Cats' Strong Comeback Effort Falls Short, 70-58

Friday, November 25

Cancun, Mexico

4:00 p.m.

Davidson College Athletics

0-6

Idaho State

2-3

Team	1	2	3	4	F
Idaho St.	16	10	26	18	70
Davidson	9	9	14	26	58

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

'Cats' Strong Comeback Effort Falls Short, 70-58

11/25/2016 6:57:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Gavin McFarlin - Associate SID

Box Score (pdf)
Photo Gallery
DavidsonPhotos.com

CANCUN, MEXICO — Playing its final game of the Cancun Challenge, Davidson's valiant comeback effort fell just short against Idaho State in a 70-58 setback Friday afternoon inside the Convention Center at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya at the Cancun Challenge.

Trailing by as many as 20 (45-25) in the third quarter, Davidson twice got within single digits but a late 9-0 run by the Bengals halted the Wildcats' efforts.

Mackenzie Latt again paced the Wildcat attack with a season-high 16 points, 14 of which came in the last two quarters when the 'Cats were making their comeback. She matched her season best with three steals and Davidson as a team had 10 for the game.

Fellow junior Chloe Johnson netted a season-high 13 points, draining 3-of-5 shots from downtown. Off the bench, Justine Lyon and Melanie Ransom each scored eight points, while Ally Welling matched Latt with five rebounds.

Three Bengals (2-3) reached double figures, with Grace Kenyon scoring 18 points and pulling in eight rebounds to lead the way. Estefania Ors had 17 points, scoring 13 of those in a 26-point third quarter, and Isabel Vara de Rey finished with 10 points.

Idaho State turned a 26-18 lead at the half into a 45-25 advantage in the third quarter by hitting 7-of-8 shots to start the quarter, including 3-for-3 from behind the arc. Ors scored nine of the points during the 19-7 run.

Davidson never backed down, going to a full-court press that nearly got it back in the game. The Wildcats opened the final quarter on a 13-2 run to get within 54-45 after a Rachel Piles jumper in the lane with 5:04 left. Lyon scored five during the spurt.

Then after ISU pushed its lead back out to double digits (59-45), Johnson started one more rally for the 'Cats with a three-ball from the wing and Latt scored five straight, including converting an and-one play, to make it 61-53 with 2:30 left on the clock.

The momentum ended there as the Bengals rattled off their 9-0 run that make it 70-53 and eventually sealed up the win.

Davidson (0-6) again had a solid fourth quarter, scoring a season-high 26 points on a season-high 52.6 percent shooting for the quarter.

Up 9-5 to start the first quarter, Davidson saw Idaho State end the last four minutes of the quarter on an 11-0 run, hitting two threes during the spurt, to take a 16-9 lead.

After the Bengals pushed their lead out to 22-11 in the second quarter, the Wildcats charged within four points thanks to back-to-back triples from Melanie Ransom and Chloe Johnson to make it 22-18. ISU then scored the last four points to go into the break up 26-18.

Davidson returns home to John M. Belk Arena face UNC Wilmington next Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES: This was the first meeting all-time between the two schools women's basketball programs … head coach Michele Savage is 10 wins away from reaching 100 for her career at Davidson … with her 16 points, Latt is now 159 points away from reaching the 1,000-mark for her career … for the sixth straight game, Davidson had double-digit rebounds on the offensive end with 10 boards … Davidson scored a game-high 17 points off of Idaho State's 17 turnovers.