Davidson Women's Basketball Forced To End Their Season Because Too Many Players Got Hurt

The Davidson women’s basketball team’s season ended on Friday, but not because they got eliminated in their conference tournament.

The Wildcats had a bit of a rough week, losing their Senior Night matchup to George Washington 45-40, dropping them to 18-10 overall. No big deal, because the Atlantic 10 tournament starts in just three days, and they’ll have a chance to make something of their season.

Well, that’s what would happen under normal circumstances.

This year, Davidson had to call off their entire season because too many players sustained significant injuries. Six players had torn ACLs, reducing the available roster for the game against George Washington to seven. Of those seven players, six logged 25 minutes or more. 

Additionally, before their Senior Night, Davidson had to forfeit two games.

Athletic Director Chris Clunie said in a statement that the health concerns of the school’s players and the impending tournament left them with no choice.

Suzi-Rose Deegan (number 0, seen here in 2022), was the leading scorer for the Wildcats. Unfortunately, she was one of the players who suffered a season-ending injury. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

"The physical, mental and emotional toll of this unfortunate and injury-riddled season has brought us to this point," Clunie said. "We are incredibly saddened that we cannot finish out the season strong but feel this is the best decision for our scholar-athletes."

TCU faced a similar situation back in January. With only six healthy players on the roster, the school held open tryouts to try to rebuild thier program on the fly.

Davidson head coach Gayle Fulks added that the trials of the season did not make coaching the team any less enjoyable.

"The injuries we have sustained this season have weighed heavily on our entire program. This decision is not one that we are taking lightly, as no one wanted it to end this way," Fulks said in a statement. "Our team of young women is the strongest, most caring and most competitive team I have ever been a part of. They have been an absolute JOY to coach, every single day.

This is such a disappointing end to a respectable season. Best of luck to the Wildcats as the injured players recover.