Story Courtesy Davidson sports information
Davidson 65, Furman 58 (OT)
DAVIDSON, NC - Freshman Mercedes Robinson (Baltimore, Md.) scored six of her eight points in overtime, senior Janell Crayton (Atlanta, Ga.) dropped in a game-high 14 points in her final home game in a Wildcat uniform and the Davidson women's basketball team ended the regular-season with a thrilling 65-58 overtime win against Furman in Southern Conference action on Sunday, Feb. 26. Davidson finished out the regular-season at 16-11 overall and 12-6 in SoCon play, while Furman saw its record drop to 9-19 overall and 5-13 in the league.
With the win, the Wildcats clinched the number three-seed for the upcoming SoCon Tournament, to be held March 2-5 in Charleston, S.C. Also with the win, Davidson matched the second most wins in the program's history at 16 and the 12 SoCon wins were tied for third-best in school history.
After trailing by as many as 12 points in the first half thanks to some sharp-shooting behind the arc by Furman's Sarah Baker and finding itself down by five at halftime, 29-24, Davidson outscored Furman 18-11 through the first 12 minutes of the second half to take a 42-40 lead with 8:25 left in regulation. Junior Brynn Kelly (Spokane, Wash.) and sophomore Danielle Hemerka (Blackwood, N.J.) combined to score 12 of the 18 points.
The Wildcats pushed their lead out to six, 46-40, on a jumper by junior Jessica Mitchell (Wilkesboro, N.C.) with 6:12 to go in the game and maintained at least a two-point lead till the very end of the half. Mitchell, who scored all 10 of her points in the second half, had her seventh straight double-figure game and finished with a season and game-high seven assists.
Then with one second on the clock, Chrissy Phelps drew a foul from Mitchell in the lane on an attempted layup. With the Wildcats leading 53-51, Phelps calmly netted both free throws to knot the score up at 53-all and force overtime.
In overtime, Robinson showed some nice moves in the post, scoring six of the Wildcats first eight points to give Davidson a 61-57 lead with 1:49 left in the extra stanza. Davidson then frustrated Furman with some excellent defense in the last minute, while getting three more points from Mitchell and one by freshmanKelly Gassie (Mt. Juliet, Tenn.) for the 65-58 win against the Paladins.
Davidson shot 62.5 percent in overtime and finished the contest hitting at a 48.4 percent clip. The Wildcats were very unselfish with the ball, dishing out 20 assists for the first time since a game against UNC Greensboro on Jan. 28 of this year. The Wildcats also capitalized on 20 of Furman's turnovers by scored 25 points on those miscues and finished with a 38-22 advantage in points in the paint.
All five starters for the Wildcats saw extended minutes and did not show any affects as each player hit double-figures. Besides scoring 14 points, Crayton hauled in six rebounds, dished out a career-high five assists and matched her personal best in steals with four. Kelly and Hemerka each chipped in with 11 and 12 points, respectively, while combining for 16 rebounds. Gassie rounded out the starters with 10 points.
For Furman, Baker poured in 14 points, only three of them came in the second half though, and Melynda Gant had a team-high seven rebounds.
It also marked the final game for senior Amanda Horne (Houston, Texas), who has not been able to suit up this year due to an injury. It has not stopped her though from providing guidance for the underclassmen and showing her senior leadership this year on the sidelines. According to head coach Annette Watts, "Amanda has been an instrumental part of the success of this team. She is very level headed, has great insights for our younger players and has been a natural teacher for us this year."