This past week, Davidson only had one game. They traveled to College Park to play #19 Maryland, who has since moved up to #14 in the AP ranking. The ‘Cats came into the game looking to avenge their loss to the Terrapins two seasons ago.
at Maryland – Wednesday 11/16
FINAL: Maryland 70, Davidson 52
Maryland did not trail for a single second of this contest. The ‘Cats battled in the first quarter. Maryland got out to a quick 5-0 lead, but the ‘Cats would respond with an Elle Sutphin layup and a Sallie Shutz three off a Maryland turnover. This was Schutz’s first career start and her first shot as a starter. Davidson would tie the game again later in the quarter at 10, but Maryland would lead for the rest of the way.
Sutphin and Mallorie Haines co-led the team with 12 points each. Sutphin also had a team-leading 8 boards, and Issy Morgan had a team-leading 6 assists. The ‘Cats shot 38.2% from the field, 30.8% from deep, and 33.3% from the free-throw line.
Analysis
One not-so-bright spot in this game was the number of turnovers for Davidson. They had 30 turnovers in this game. This is the most they’ve committed since their first season in the A10 in a game against Richmond on 1/21/15, meaning this is the most in the Gayle-Coats-Fulks era. Issy Morgan had a particularly uncharcteristic day, contributing a team-high 9 turnovers, 3 more than her previous high. Perhaps some of these turnovers can be attributed to Maryland’s ferocious defense, as the Terps had 18 steals, though the Terp’s previous high this season was 9 steals.
There was a bright spot though! This game saw the emergence of Mallorie Haines as a key player in the Davidson offense. Haines was the 96th nationally ranked recruit in the class of 2026, but she didn’t play in every game for the ‘Cats last season and only averaged 5 minutes when she did. Today she scored 12 points, twice more than she ever scored last season. And she played 28 minutes, more than twice more than she ever played last season. She led the team in three pointers, going 3-6 from beyond the arc.
What’s Next?
Davidson will be in Savannah, Georgia this week for three games in three days in the Hostilo Hoops Communtiy Classic. Their games are Monday 11/21 – Wednesday 11/23. They already took down Austin Peay 62-41 in their first game. We’ll cover this game and the other two in next week’s edition. Their second opponent is UIC, who they play Tuesday at 2 PM. And their third opponent is Fairleigh Dickinson, who they play Wednesday at 11:30 AM. Of note, head coach Gayle Coats Fulks played four seasons of college basketball for the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights from 2003-2007.
