Aleksandravicius and the ‘Cats Pull Out Nail-Biter at Appalachian State, 55-52

Sunday, January 15

Boone, N.C.

2:00 p.m.

Davidson College

11-6, 7-1SoCon

Appalachian State

11-3, 5-1SoCon

Davidson

Appalachian State

Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com

Aleksandravicius and the ‘Cats Pull Out Nail-Biter at Appalachian State, 55-52

1/15/2012 5:20:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID

Find Your Favorite Wildcat Action Shot at DavidsonPhotos.com

BOONE, N.C. — Sophia Aleksandravicius (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) tallied game highs of 17 points, 20 rebounds and seven blocks, including her final one that sealed the Wildcats win, as they pulled out a 55-52 nail-biter at Appalachian State on Sunday afternoon in Southern Conference women's basketball action at the Holmes Center.

The 6-foot-4 Wildcat forward did it all for Davidson (11-6, 7-1 SoCon) as the Wildcats shook off a terrible shooting first half to snap their six-game losing streak against the Mountaineers. She had a double-double in the second half alone with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Aleksandravicius' 20 rebounds were a career-best, while for the second straight game, she matched her own school record in blocks.

Davidson, which earned its 350th win as a program with the victory, shot 52 percent in the second half to off-set a season-low 19 percent shooting performance in the first period.

After Kristen Johnsen (Wayne, Pa.) gave the 'Cats a 55-52 lead with a pair of free throws and 17 seconds left, ASU had one last chance to tie things up. But Davidson's defense, much like it did all game, stepped up, forcing the Mountaineers to call a timeout with just four seconds left. Out of the thirty-second break, Katie Mallow tried to force up a shot, but Aleksandravicius was right there to swat it away for the win.

Davidson held ASU (11-3, 5-1 SoCon) to 26.9 percent shooting, including just 21 percent in the second half (8-39).

Johnsen recorded her first double-double of the season with season bests of 13 points and 10 rebounds. The senior was clutch in the second period. Down 32-27 in the early stages of the second half, she helped spark an 11-5 run with six points in a row that turned a five-point deficit into 38-37 Wildcat lead, their first of the game.

Shneeka Center (Smithtown, N.Y.) was also big in the second half, getting all of her eight points and five rebounds in the half. During the run, the sophomore canned a trey and hit a put-back bucket. Later, she converted an and-one play that broke up a 50-all tie with 1:21 remaining and gave the Wildcats the lead for good.

Laura Murray (Harrisburg, Pa.) gave Davidson a trio of double-figure scorers with 10 points.

The Mountaineers put two players in double figures with Kelsey Sharkey and Chakeitha Weldon netting 10 points each. ASU's leading scorer, Anna Freeman, was held to just eight points, 11 below her season average.

Davidson struggled in the first half to get in any kind of offensive flow, missing 12 of its first 13 shots to start the contest. ASU did not shoot much better either, hitting only 10-of-28 shots and scoring just six points in the final nine and half minutes, which allowed the Wildcats to stay close.

Down 18-6, Murray sparked an 11-2 run with back-to-back triples and an Aleksandracivius free throw got Davidson to within three at 20-17 with 3:42 on the clock. Two more free throws, this time by Murray, made it 24-19 to close out the half.

The Wildcats return home for a three-game homestand starting on Saturday, Jan. 21 against Samford at 2 p.m.

Game Notes: The 'Cats have held 10 opponents to below 36 percent shooting from the field, going 9-1 in those games… Davidson has won nine of its last 11 games overall... The win at Appalachian State was Davidson's first since Dec. 6, 2008... Aleksandravicius' double-double was her seventh of the year, and fifth in the last seven games... With Aleksandravicius' and Johnsen's double-double, it mark the first time since Jan. 31, 2009 two Wildcats had a double-double in the same game... Murray's double-figure streak in league games reached 13 straight... Davidson had a new season-high in rebounds with 47... Aleksandravicius was three rebounds off of tying the single-game school record.