Late Free Throws Help Davidson Get Past Women's Hoops, 63-59

AMHERST, Mass. - Despite a career-high of 22 points from Alyx Stiff and a second-half run to tie the game, the UMass women's basketball team fell to Davidson, 63-59, on Saturday afternoon at the Mullins Center. The game was the annual Play4Kay event for the Minutewomen who wore pink uniforms to help raise awareness for the Kay Yow Cancer Foundation and cancer research efforts.

Records:
The loss drops UMass to 9-16 overall and 3-9 in Atlantic 10 play, while the Wildcats improve to 4-19 overall and 2-9 in Atlantic 10 play.

UMass Leaders:
Alyx Stiff led the Minutewomen with her career-best 22-point effort. The senior hit 7-of-14 field goals and was 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. Leah McDerment added 12 points and eight assists, while Maggie Mulligan scored 10 points and had 5 rebounds before fouling out with four minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Davidson Leaders:
Justine Lyon led all scorers with a game-high 34 points as the lone Wildcat to reach double figures. Lyon was 11-of-20 from the field and hit 9-of-12 free throws including eight in the final two minutes of play. Mackenzie Latt and Kyla Roland each posted eight points. Latt also led Davidson with 10 rebounds.

Key Plays:
• Davidson built out an eight-point lead in the first quarter after a 9-to-2 run gave the Wildcats a 20-12 lead at the 1:54 mark. A Leidel three-pointer followed by a jumper from Stiff pulled UMass back within three, 20-17, to close out the stanza.
• In the second quarter, the Wildcats extended their lead back to eight points, but a six-point stretch by Stiff pulled UMass within five with 1:52 before halftime. After a Stiff three-pointer in that stretch, Lyon responded with a jumper with 1:52 remaining to give Davidson a 33-26 lead at the intermission.
• The Minutewomen continued to chip away in the third quarter sparked by six points from McDerment and a three-point play by Leidel. After a McDerment lay-up cut the Wildcat lead to 42-41 with 47 seconds to go, Andrea Robinson hit one-of-two free throws giving Davidson a 43-41 lead going into the fourth.
• Holder tied the game to start the final quarter, but Davidson continued to find answers. Back-to-back lay-ups by Latt and Roland extended the lead back to five, 50-45, with 4:35 remaining. With just under three minutes remaining, McDerment was able to pull UMass back within two, but fouls plagued the Minutewomen with Davidson in the bonus. After hitting just 6-of-12 free throws in the game, the Wildcats converted 10-of-12 attempts in the final two minutes to hold UMass at bay. Stiff hit a three-pointer with 10 seconds to go, but the Minutewomen were unable to find another opportunity to tie the game.

Numbers Game:
For the game, the Wildcats shot 40 percent from the field and 16-of-24 free throws. A 39-to-31 rebounding advantage for the Wildcats translated to a 20-to-3 advantage in second chance points. UMass shot 41.1 percent from the floor but were just 4-of-16 from beyond the arc.

Next Up:
UMass will have Wednesday off this week with the next game on Saturday, Feb. 11 at Fordham. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. with the game being streamed live on the Atlantic 10 Digital Network and broadcast locally on 91.1 FM WMUA.

For complete coverage of the UMass women's basketball team, follow the Minutewomen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassWBB and online at www.UMassAthletics.com. Tickets for home games can be purchased by calling 866-UMASS-TIX, logging on to www.UMassAthletics.com, and by visiting the Mullins Center Box Office.

Scoreboard

Late Free Throws Help Davidson Get Past Women's Hoops, 63-59

Next Event

Team Stats

Alyx Stiff

Leah McDerment

Maggie Mulligan

Hailey Leidel

Players Mentioned

Leah McDerment

Maggie Mulligan

Alyx Stiff

Players Mentioned

Leah McDerment

Maggie Mulligan

Alyx Stiff

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics