DAVIDSON, N.C. – Ashley Lax led four Wildcats in double-digits as Davidson withstood a second-half surge to defeat the Wofford women’s basketball team 83-68 in SoCon action on Tuesday night.
The two teams traded field goals for the first five minutes of the game, with a two-pointer from Wofford’s Kathryn Varno tying the score at six. Davidson then went on a six point run, taking a 12-6 lead at the 13 minute mark.
The Terriers fought back, shooting 6-10 from the field to take a 22-20 lead with nine minutes remaining in the half. Wofford then went on a tear at the free throw line, making seven of seven attempts to keep the score close until the five-minute mark. The Wildcats managed to hold the Terriers scoreless for the remaining five minutes of the half, with the exception of two made free throws from April Moorhouse with five seconds left. With 16 points of their own in the final minutes, the Wildcats headed into the break with a comfortable 49-33 lead.
Wofford struck first in the second half with a three-pointer from Natalie Gramblin, but then hit a dry spell for the next three minutes as Davidson racked up nine points to take a 22 point lead. The Terriers turned up the defense, holding Davidson’s leading scorer Mercedes Robinson scoreless in the second half. The Wildcats’ Ashley Lax stepped up, adding 12 second half points to match her 12-point performance in the first half.
Although the Terriers outscored the Wildcats 35-34 in the second half, it was not enough to overcome their first-half deficit, and Davidson came away with the 83-68 win.
Lax led all players with 24 total points, shooting 8-16 from the field, including 4-7 from three-point range and 4-4 from the charity stripe. Senior Mercedes Robinson added 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Julia Paquette also notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Alex Thompson contributed 13 points and seven assists in the win.
Junior Kathlyn Varno led the Terriers with 12 points, while sophomore Mahagony Williams notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. Senior Summer Nichols added 10 points and grabbed five rebounds while leading the team with four assists. Junior Kelly Dwyer led the Terriers with five steals on the night.
With the win, Davidson improves to 5-8 on the season and remains undefeated in the Southern Conference with a 4-0 record. Wofford falls to 1-10 on the season and 0-4 in league play. The Terriers will face cross-town rival Furman on Saturday in Greenville. Game time is set for 1:30 p.m.