What they are saying in Statesboro, GA

Davidson embarrasses Eagles
Georgia Southern AMR
Posted: Jan. 3, 2008

DAVIDSON, N.C. — Davidson opened with a 21-3 run and never looked back to defeat Georgia Southern 92-67 Thursday night at Belk Arena.

Davidson improves to 5-6 overall and stays undefeated in the Southern Conference at 3-0. Georgia Southern drops to 9-4 and 2-1.

“They showed more of a sense of urgency from the opening tip both from an intensity standpoint and a physical standpoint,” said GSU head coach Jeff Price. “They could see it and they just got us down and kept on going. We didn’t have an answer for it.”

Davidson started with 11 straight points before Georgia Southern finally got on the board. Stephen Curry and Max Paulhus Gosselin combined for nine of those points.

Georgia Southern was held scoreless for the first 3:25 of the contest and went without a point for a period of 5:01 early in the game. The Eagles shot just 1-for-11 (.090) from the field and had six turnovers in the opening nine minutes.

“This is our third straight game to start slow,” said Price. “We missed a lot of shots and I thought our defense was poor early. We’re starting to have a pattern where when we’re missing shots we’re not defending well. We need to understand that if we’re not going to make shots we better get stops on the defensive end.”

Georgia Southern junior Julian Allen (Waterbury, Conn.) recorded his second straight double-double with a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Up next for the Eagles is a matchup with UNC Greensboro Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. The game will be televised on SportSouth.

SoCon chooses idiotic 20 game conference schedule again next year

The SoCon scheduling controversy
By Ken Burger
The Post and Courier
Friday, January 4, 2008

The Citadel and the College of Charleston played Southern Conference games Thursday night and will play nothing but conference games until March Madness comes around.

Schedule Madness?

Some think so.

The Bulldogs and Cougars, in fact, will play 18 straight league games through January and February without a single non-conference breather. They both played two league games in December.

That adds up to an unprecedented 20-game conference scheduling format instituted by the SoCon for this season and next. With only 28 games on the schedule, this new concept isn't sitting well with everybody.

"I know everybody has different interests," Citadel coach Ed Conroy said of the schedule controversy. "As a basketball coach I've always enjoyed scheduling according to the needs of my team. I enjoy having that flexibility, and obviously a 20-game conference schedule takes away a little bit of that."

The idea was for every school to play each other twice during the regular season rather than by divisions. But the reality is tough for coaches to swallow.

"When I got here it was 15 (conference games), then it was 18 and now it's 20," said Conroy, whose club lost to Elon, 72-63. "We already had some long-term contracts in the works with schools like Michigan State that we had to change because of this."

Beautiful Boone

The push for more league games came from some Southern Conference schools like Georgia Southern and Western Carolina that have a tougher time getting non-conference teams to come to places like Statesboro, Ga., and Cullowhee, N.C.

Conroy and Cremins agree that Charleston is an easier site to sell than some other venues. And yet, Houston Fancher, coach of Appalachian State in beautiful but remote Boone, N.C., says he doesn't care for the new mandate either.

"A lot of schools are for it and I understand their position," Fancher after his Mountaineers defeated Charleston 70-66 at Kresse Arena. "But for us to grow this league I think we need to play less games and step outside the conference.

"I know it was a close vote. The coaches actually voted not to play 20 games and the athletic directors voted it down."

So, does he have trouble scheduling teams to come to Boone?

"Yeah," Fancher said. "But you just have to go after it and be a little patient. I don't think people have trouble scheduling games. They just struggle to get the games they want."

'Unusual' scheduling

College of Charleston coach Bobby Cremins, who coached 19 years at Georgia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference, diplomatically called the scheduling "unusual," but has tried to see the issue from both sides.

"When I went to my first Southern Conference meeting in the spring I was upset about it until I listened to the other coaches," Cremins said. "They mentioned they had trouble scheduling games and that scheduling was a pain in the butt for them. I didn't realize that. I thought with the coaches it would be unanimous, but it wasn't."

Personally, Cremins said he could live with an 18-game league schedule, but thinks 20 conference games limits the league. The ACC and SEC, for instance, play only 16 league games.

"I just don't like doing what nobody else does," Cremins said. "Nobody else plays this number of conference games and I like the flexibility to go outside the conference, I really do. But I have no say."

Indeed, this concept seems to allow the tail to wag the dog.

When asked if the schedule puts extra pressure on coaches and players, Cremins just smiled and said, "Ask me after the season."

Thoughts on the game from fellow Davidson bloggers

From Lefty's Legacy:

"**If last night’s 92-67 defeathering of the Eagles was any indication of
Southern Conference play to come, Davidson will waltz its way into the NCAA
tournament. Georgia Southern was touted by many, including this tlog, as one of
the Conference’s fiercest competitors yet the Eagles never made a game of this
one. The Cats’ stifling defense helped them cruise to an 11-0 start and an early
21-3 lead. There were a few glimmers of hope for GSU, particularly towards the
end of the first half. However, they never got closer than 14. This one was all
Davidson."

Click here to read entire post

From Will's World:

"The Wildcats opened with an 11-0 run and never let up en route to a 92-67
conference win over Georgia Southern. Curry led all scorers with 24 points and
scored his 1,000th point in a Wildcat uniform. Curry is the 38th Wildcat to
score that many in a career.'It feels great to get that, but I'm just more
focused on what's next,' Curry said afterward."

Click here to read entire post

From GA Southern official website

Davidson Jumps on Men's Basketball Early, Cruises to Victory

DAVIDSON, N.C. --- Davidson opened with a 21-3 run and never looked back to defeat Georgia Southern 92-67 Thursday night at Belk Arena.

Davidson improves to 5-6 overall and stays undefeated in the Southern Conference at 3-0. Georgia Southern drops to 9-4 and 2-1.

“They showed more of a sense of urgency from the opening tip both from an intensity standpoint and a physical standpoint,” said GSU head coach Jeff Price. “They could see it and they just got us down and kept on going. We didn’t have an answer for it.”

Davidson started with 11 straight points before Georgia Southern finally got on the board. Stephen Curry and Max Paulhus Gosselin combined for nine of those points.

Georgia Southern was held scoreless for the first 3:25 of the contest and went without a point for a period of 5:01 early in the game. The Eagles shot just 1-for-11 (.090) from the field and had six turnovers in the opening nine minutes.

“This is our third straight game to start slow,” said Price. “We missed a lot of shots and I thought our defense was poor early. We’re starting to have a pattern where when we’re missing shots we’re not defending well. We need to understand that if we’re not going to make shots we better get stops on the defensive end.”

GSU was able to close to within 14 (45-29) at the break, but Curry started the second half the same way he did the first with a 3-pointer on the Wildcats’ first possession. Curry had just seven points at halftime, but more than doubled that in the first three minutes with two treys and a jumper.

A Georgia Southern lay-up cut the margin again to 14 (53-39) at the 15:42 mark but Davidson answered with a 12-0 run and led by no fewer than 19 the rest of the way.

Curry paced all scorers with 24 points and added 10 rebounds and four assists. DC’s Thomas Sander added 18 points and Jason Richards had 16. The duo combined for 27 of their 34 points in the first half.

Georgia Southern junior Julian Allen (Waterbury, Conn.) recorded his second straight double-double with a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Kevin Cary's "Observations" from the GSU game

Ga. Southern-Davidson Observations
KEVIN CARY

• Davidson switched its starting lineup Thursday, putting in junior forward Andrew Lovedale instead of senior Boris Meno. Meno had started every game in the past two seasons, but Davidson jumped out to an 11-0 lead with Lovedale on the floor.

• Georgia Southern seemed like a Southern Conference contender before the game, but after missing 11 of its first 12 shots, the Eagles had a percentage lower than a fading presidential candidate.

• Davidson forward Max Paulhus Gosselin had struggled with a sore back for a month, but he had renewed vigor.

Paulhus Gosselin scored seven points in the first half, and his defensive pressure helped create 11 Georgia Southern turnovers.

• Davidson's offense had precision, something the Wildcats have lacked in recent games. Ball movement helped build that -- Davidson had assists on 12 of its 17 first-half field goals.

• Davidson forward Thomas Sander wasn't a factor in the Wildcats' last game -- a 66-65 loss to N.C. State two weeks ago -- but he was a key player Thursday. Sander scored 13 points in the first half and helped Davidson build a 22-point lead.

From The Observer

DAVIDSON 92, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 67
Wildcats' fast start fuels romp against Eagles
Davidson scores game's first 11 points to remain unbeaten in conference
Kevin Cary

DAVIDSON --Davidson's 92-67 win against Georgia Southern did more than keep the Wildcats undefeated in the Southern Conference. It also helped them get their spark back.

This season hasn't gone the way Davidson had hoped -- an early national ranking has long faded and the Wildcats lost six of their first 10 games. Coach Bob McKillop talked to his team about getting some of that missing mojo and using it to regain energy.

"It's like a fire without a spark," he said. "Our spirit had dissipated a little bit because of the losses, and I knew a good start (Thursday) would help them overcome that."

Davidson scored the first 11 points Thursday night and never let the Eagles get off the ground. Forward Max Paulhus Gosselin punctuated the surge with a dunk that came after point guard Jason Richards crashed into press row to save a steal.

Davidson (5-6, 3-0 Southern) delivered that kind of effort all night, diving after loose balls and outscrapping the Eagles (9-4, 2-1) for rebounds. Paulhus Gosselin and forward Thomas Sander (18 points) led the defensive charge, and Davidson erased the memories of its sluggish season start.

Those memories could have lingered for a while, because Davidson hadn't played since a 66-65 loss to N.C. State on Dec. 21. But Paulhus Gosselin said McKillop wouldn't let Davidson dwell on it.

"He put us through a boot camp for the first few days after Christmas, but that helped us get into better shape and get more focused," Paulhus Gosselin said. "Whatever Georgia Southern was going to take to us, we were going to give it back to them."

The Eagles didn't have a lot of fight. Georgia Southern flung wild shots to the rim and made sloppy passes. The Eagles had 19 turnovers and shot 41 percent from the field, and their lack of focus resonated at the free throw line. Georgia Southern made only 8-of-21 free throws and did not look like a conference leader.

Davidson does now, because the Wildcats went back to basics. Guard Stephen Curry had 24 points and 10 rebounds, and Richards had 16 points and 11 assists. Davidson led by as many as 32 points.

"These guys had that sense of urgency tonight," McKillop said

From "Above The Rim"

Davidson shows signs of improvement

Davidson won't have much of a break after its 92-67 win against Georgia Southern - Davidson hosts Western Carolina on Saturday - but the Wildcats might not want it. Davidson had a lot of encouraging signs in its win against Georgia Southern.

Forward Max Paulhus Gosselin appears recovered from a sore back, and he might be ready to help Davidson's outside shooting. Gosselin has only made 2-of-21 3-pointers this season, but his shot had a lot more lift Thursday night - instead of the flat trajectory it has had all season.

While Gosselin might shoot more, Davidson's inside players might not. Thomas Sander and Boris Meno had made 5-of-33 attempts before the game, but only took one Thursday, passing up 3-pointers to later get the ball inside. Davidson also played much better on offense. The Wildcats had 16 turnovers, but 10 of those came in the second half after the game had been decided. Point guard Jason Richards led the way, with one turnover and 11 assists.

Those trends could create a winning stretch for Davidson. The Wildcats will be favored to win at least their next eight games, and might not be an underdog until the ESPN Bracketbuster game in February.

--Kevin Cary

WIldcats destroy Ga Southern, 92-67

Davidson rolled to a big win tonight against Georgia Southern in a Southern Conference game. Davidson was in the lead by 30+ points at one point.

Sidenote: Steph also scored his 1,000th point as a Wildcat tonight. He is the second fastest in Davidson history to score 1,000 points (Fred Hetzel was the fastest, according to John Kilgo on the Davidson broadcast).

Good win. More to come.

Wildcats take on Georgia Southern at 7 p.m. at Belk

From the Davidson official website:

Wildcats Return to Action in Key SoCon Battle with Georgia Southern Thursday

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

- Coming off a 66-65 setback to N.C. State 13 days ago, Davidson enters the New Year 4-6 overall and 2-0 in the league. Stephen Curry hit the 20-point plateau for the eighth time this season with a game-high 29 against the Wolfpack in Raleigh, but it was Gavin Grant’s two free throws with 3.9 seconds remaining that made the difference.

- Curry, the SoCon’s Preseason Player of the Year, continues to lead the Wildcats in scoring, averaging 24.6 points per outing, which also ranks him sixth in the nation. The 6-3 guard is shooting 47.0 percent overall and 42.6 percent (46-108) from downtown. Curry’s 4.6 three-pointers per contest also ranks him second nationally.

- Along with Curry ranking among national leaders in scoring, his backcourt mate Jason Richards is also averaging double digits (12.9 ppg.) and still leads the country in assists at 8.7 per contest.

- The last time these two clubs met, Davidson erased a 14-point first-half deficit thanks to a career-high 32 points from Richards to defeat Georgia Southern 101-92 in Statesboro, Ga. To go along with his personal best, the Wildcat point guard scored 20 of his game-high in the opening period, including 16 straight, converted 12-of-14 free throws and added nine assists.

- Davidson is looking to begin its SoCon slate 3-0 for the second consecutive season and fourth time under Head Coach Bob McKillop.

THE MATCHUP

Coaches: Davidson Bob McKillop, the all-time winningest coach in Davidson and SoCon history has compiled a record of 315-224 in 19 years at the helm. Georgia Southern Jeff Price is 146-102 in nine seasons on the Eagles bench and 282-144 as a collegiate head coach.

Series: Davidson leads, 18-6.

Last Meeting: Jason Richards scored a career-high 32 points and Davidson rallied from nine points down at the break to defeat the Eagles 101-92 in Statesboro, Ga., Jan. 23, 2007.

Radio: John Kilgo and Logan Kosmalski will call the action on the Davidson Radio Network.

Next Up: Davidson will conclude its brief homestand with a 7 p.m. tip against Western Carolina Saturday. Georgia Southern travels to Greensboro, N.C., for a 3:00 contest with UNCG Jan. 5.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Rambling thoughts, part II

What is different this year from last year?

The schedule is much tougher this year. I addressed that in the prior post, so we'll consider that issue settled.

Steph was a bit (understatement) of a surprise last year. He's not a surprise this year.

Last year we had games where several other players went nuts and scored tons of points. It seemed that anybody on any given night could light up the other team. Maybe I'm wrong, but I just don't feel like we've got that this year....at least, not so far.

Thomas Sander dropped 30 points on somebody last year. Thomas is averaging 8 points per game this year, as opposed to 13 PPG last year. He's also playing 6 minutes less per game. He's only scored in double figures twice this season.

I think Boris went crazy on a couple of teams last year. His scoring is down about 3 points per game, and he's only hit double figures in 3 games this year, one of which was D-III school Emory (so it doesn't really count in the analysis).

Jason scored 25 on Arizona State last year. I will say, though, that his average is about the same as last year, and he has dropped over 20 points on 2 different teams this year.

Lovedale is getting 2 less rebounds per game so far this year. His scoring and minutes are basically the same as last year.

Steph was scoring a little bit less last year than he is this year.

MPG was actually scoring some last year. He averaged 4.8 PPG last year. This year, it's only 2.3 PPG.

Big Willie, as we all know, has seen a drop in scoring. He averaged 8 PPG last year, and so far it's down to 4 PPG this year. However, aside from the ankle injury the other night, Will seems to be getting back on track.

Bryant "The Maine Lobstah" Barr is hitting his stride and scoring 5 PPG MORE than last year.

What does this mean?

I had not actually looked at the hard numbers before beginning this post, so it was interesting to see how the numbers matched up with my gut feelings. There were a few gut feelings that were wrong (thinking Jason was not scoring as much as last year, for example). However, many of my gut feelings were correct. My overall feeling was that we are depending way too much on Steph to score and that the rest of the team was not scoring enough. Well, between MPG, Big Willie, Boris & Thomas - they are scoring 14.5 less points per game this year. Steph is scoring 3 points per game more, and Bryant Barr is scoring 5 points more per game. More load is on Steph now, and luckily Barr is helping take up the slack more and more as the season has progressed. (Let's hope that Barr is an emerging star now that he appears to have found a comfort zone.) Maybe the interior scoring will go up as the team hits the SoCon schedule. It is obviously a little tougher to score inside against UNC, Duke, UCLA, etc. than the SoCon teams. Perhaps the comparison is unfair until more of the season is complete.

Any way you cut it, in my UN-expert opinion, we really need to see more evenly distributed scoring. Teams are going to figure out how to lock down Steph at some point, and we can't live and die by Steph's ability to hit 3 pointers from 30 feet. The other 4 players on the court need to start putting more points on the board.

As I said below in the prior post, all that matters at this point is the SoCon schedule and the tournament in March. As we work through the SoCon schedule, I think we'll see a great deal of improvement from our guys.

My hope has been that I will get to see Davidson win at least one game in the NCAA Tournament at some point. The early season losses -while they hurt - are helping get these guys ready for March. If we are fortunate enough to win the SoCon Tournament again, this team will be very well prepared to win an NCAA Tournament game. But there's a bunch of basketball to be played between now and then, so buckle up.

Rambling thoughts about the NC State game and the season so far

NC State game:
I'm at my in-laws' house for our pre-Christmas gathering and we were having the family dinner last night. Therefore, I only saw bits and pieces of the first half and had to pick up about halfway through the second half. As the clock ran down on the second half, I was reacting to every possession. My in-laws probably think I'm nuts, but they probably already thought that before last night. And that's another story for another time.

I'm going to let you all know what I honestly thought about the "big 4" games on this year's schedule. Before the season started, I thought we would likely get pounded by UNC and UCLA, but give Duke a decent game. I also thought that we had a pretty good shot at beating NC State.

I'll come back to the other 3 games momentarily. Now, with regards to NC State, that was yet another game that we could/should have won. There were a few things that I saw about our play that bothered me a great deal. However, I have always tried to be positive on this website, and not single out any player(s). I certainly don't want to start now, but I will say that I've never wanted to do so as much as I do now. But we'll let that go.

Anyway, it was painful last night seeing those free throws go in and then seeing the clock expire as Steph's half-court shot missed. I thought we were going to pull that one out. I had to leave the room to go relax for a few minutes right after that game ended, so I could keep my cool. It's hard when you care so much, you know? When we lose a game like that in the last seconds, I just have to turn off the TV and get my mind immediately on something else so I don't sit around and let it ruin my evening.

The rest of the season so far:
As I said, I figured we'd get killed by UNC and UCLA, hopefully give Duke a decent game, and maybe (maybe) beat NC State. Well, if you measure the team's performance in those 4 games against my expectations, I'd say they performed very well....BETTER than expected. So, that's actually a positive. Had we pulled out a win against UNC, Duke or UCLA, it would have been one of the biggest upset wins (if not THE biggest) in school history. A 1 point loss at NC State hurts and I don't like it, but it's not the end of the world.

The loss to UNCC really bothered me for a couple of reasons. First, I hate UNCC. I just do not like them. They were always a bunch of cheeseball, hair-gel wearing guys when I was at Davidson, and they have a goofy looking crown-like logo, and I just hate them. End of story. Second, we beat them DOWN last year at Belk Arena. So I thought we should win this year's game. That loss stung.

I wasn't sure what to make of the Western Michigan loss. It was very early in the season, but we had just cracked the Top 25...so I expected a win. Then I thought that WMU might be a pretty good team. Then WMU lost a bunch of games after that. That loss has become more and more disappointing as WMU's true colors have shown.

What does this all mean and should we be concerned about the losses?
Well, I think that we all realize that the hopes of going "big-time" were a bit premature and expectations were a bit too high. Think about it. Last year's team did go 29-4 before the NCAA Tournament, but really didn't beat anybody noteworthy. This year's team could have a much better record right now if they had last year's schedule again. Conversely, last year's team would NOT have been 29-5 with THIS year's schedule. So let's keep last year and this year in perspective. It would have been great to have won one of those big 4 games. But it didn't happen. So what? We lost by 30 to Duke last year. We lost by 6 this year. Big improvement.

What this leads to is that, for any Southern Conference team, the only season that matters at all is the CONFERENCE SCHEDULE....and that's only for the purpose of SoCon Tournament seeding. The only reason the regular season even matters at all is that, since splitting into 2 divisions, no team has ever won the tournament without getting a BYE on day 1. So, you play the regular season to qualify for a BYE. Then, what REALLY MATTERS is those 3 days in March in Charleston at the SoCon Tournament.

So, don't worry about what has transpired so far. It doesn't matter!!

It's all about the SoCon Tournament in March. Period. Always has been.

BEAT N.C. STATE!!!

Davidson vs. NC State tonight on TV at 7:00

Tonight's game is televised on Fox Sports Net South (FSN South). Check your local listings.

Press conference audio: NC State coach, Sidney Lowe

Click here to listen to the press conference. (Give it some time to download, so be patient. You will be directed away from this page.)

The press conference is pretty long, but he does discuss Davidson a good bit. Although, he apparently thinks Jason's last name is "Richardson".

This is the final (as far as we know) ACC test for the Wildcats this year.

Yet another Davidson Basketball blog has begun

A few alums have started up another Davidson Basketball blog called Lefty's Legacy. Check it out!

This could be another great source for info on Davidson Basketball.

Blog header

Something is going on with the header of this website, and I cannot figure out the problem. The space for the uploaded image has shrunk, and I don't know why. It's almost as if Blogger has modified the template without telling me. Strange, huh?

If any of you can help me figure this out, I would greatly appreciate it.

From The Observer

Observations: The Citadel-Davidson
KEVIN CARY

• Davidson had to play most of the first half without guard Stephen Curry, who sat out after getting hit in the mouth. He had seven points before leaving with 10 minutes left.

• The Citadel started five freshmen, but the Bulldogs look more promising than they did last season. The Citadel hit 60 percent from the field in the first half, and made 7-of-10 3-pointers.

• Curry's injury gave Brendan McKillop more playing time, but the freshman is still adjusting to the speed of the college game. • Davidson reserve guard Bryant Barr made three 3-pointers in the first half, and rarely misses when he shoots in rhythm.

• Davidson's offense can be one of the most productive in the country, but that won't matter unless the Wildcats defend better. Take away victories against Division III Emory and N.C. Central -- in its first year of Division I play -- and Davidson is allowing 47 percent shooting from the field and 44 percent on 3-pointers.

• Davidson point guard Jason Richards is making less than 60 percent of his free throws, not good for a point guard who has the ball in pressure situations.

From The Observer

DAVIDSON 95, THE CITADEL 74
Wildcats set Barr too high for Bulldogs
Sophomore guard scores 23 as Davidson snaps 3-game losing streak
KEVIN CARY

DAVIDSON --Sometimes, Davidson guard Bryant Barr has that look.

It's a look that made teammate Stephen Curry chuckle after the Wildcats' 95-74 win against The Citadel on Thursday.

Curry couldn't help but grin after the performance of his roommate, who scored a career-high 23 points and hit six 3-pointers to help Davidson snap a three-game losing streak.

"He smiles a lot when he's going good," Curry said. "There's a certain pep in his step. It's pretty fun to watch."

That is, unless you play for The Citadel, which watched Barr scorch the Bulldogs for the second straight game. Barr had 21 points on seven 3-pointers against The Citadel last March.

Maybe the Bulldogs were confused by which sophomore shooting guard was the star. Curry might have contributed to that, getting cut in his mouth and sitting on the bench the final seven minutes of the first half.

Curry got seven stitches and had to change uniform numbers because of blood on his shirt.

He wore No. 25 in the second half, to which teammate Boris Meno joked, "What's up Falconi?" referring to graduated walk-on John Falconi, who wore the number last season.

The walk-on's number had a little life in it, because Curry had 13 points and six assists after halftime. But Barr made the biggest impact, hitting three 3-pointers in a 22-4 second-half run that gave Davidson a 72-53 lead with 11 minutes left.

"Sometimes my shot is on, sometimes it isn't," Barr said. "But I felt good in warm-ups today, and it went from there."

Barr had shown glimpses of his good shooting in Saturday's loss to UCLA, but the rest of the Wildcats (4-5, 2-0 Southern) still had a hangover from that defeat early Thursday. The Citadel (3-5, 0-2) hung with Davidson in the first half, hitting contested 3-pointers and not allowing Davidson to break away.

Davidson took over in the second half. The Citadel still hit outside shots -- the Bulldogs made 15 3-pointers in the game -- but Curry (20 points), point guard Jason Richards (21 points, nine assists) and Barr helped Davidson shake out of its slump.

"We know we constantly have that cloud over our head," Davidson coach Bob McKillop said of preseason expectations. "But we can't worry about what other people think. We just have to concern ourselves with getting better and playing to win."

Post-game article from Charleston paper

Wildcats too strong for young Bulldogs
By Jeff Hartsell
Friday, December 14, 2007

Davidson 95, The Citadel 74

DAVIDSON, N.C. — Stephen Curry was in the locker room, getting seven stitches sewn into his bloodied lip. And a crowd of 3,492 at Belk Arena murmured nervously as a battalion of Citadel freshmen fought two-time defending Southern Conference champion Davidson to a halftime tie.

"They numbed me up pretty good to give me the stitches," said Curry, the Wildcats' sophomore sensation who was felled in the first half by an inadvertent elbow. "But the pain started coming back in the second half."

By the time his pain medication wore off, Curry and backcourt mates Jason Richard and Bryant Barr had ended any threat of what would have been the biggest upset in SoCon basketball this season.

The three guards combined for 64 points, led by a career-best 23 from sophomore reserve Barr, as the Wildcats pulled away for a 95-74 victory over the Bulldogs, who were without their lone senior, center Demetrius Nelson.

Davidson (4-5, 2-0) ended a three-game losing skid — the losses coming to No. 7 Duke, Charlotte and No. 7 UCLA — as Curry scored 20 points and Richard added 21 points and nine assists. Curry, son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, played the second half wearing No. 25, his familiar No. 30 jersey sprinkled with blood.

Tied at 39 at halftime, the Wildcats opened the second half by drilling eight of their first 10 shots from 3-point range. The last three were by Barr, who made 6 of 9 3-pointers and has hit 13 of 18 from distance in his last two games against The Citadel. His last 3 capped a 22-4 run for a 72-53 lead that reached 27 points in the final minutes.

"I tried to give our young guys some perspective," said Citadel coach Ed Conroy, who started five freshmen and deployed 10 during the game. "But I could tell they were getting frustrated and stretched out a little bit, trying to get to their 3-point shooters.

"I told them, 'They are shooting well, but we are shooting it better.' But we lost our composure a little bit and got our defense stretched."

The Bulldogs (3-5, 0-2) shot 60 percent from 3-point range (15 of 25) to 55.2 percent (15 of 28) for Davidson. Guard Cameron Wells scored 20 points with six rebounds and five assists, and

Austin Dahn was 5 of 7 from distance for 17 points. Freshman forward Tyrell McDowell, making his first start, scored 13 points, and the Bulldogs' knobs made an impression on Davidson coach Bob McKillop.

"They are going to be very, very good," McKillop said. "For a young team to execute their system the way they did, they are a hand-in-glove group to fit Ed's system. I think he's really laying a great foundation."

That foundation was missing an important piece without Nelson, the 6-8 senior from St. John's High School. He did not make the trip to Davidson and underwent an MRI exam on his injured foot on Thursday.

"In the first five minutes of practice Wednesday, he did not look good," Conroy said. "We were getting on the bus when they said they had an MRI scheduled, so I made the decision right there to leave him at home for the exam. I haven't heard the results yet."

The Wildcats led by 25-17 in the first half when Curry took an elbow to the mouth from guard Jon Brick, who was called for an offensive foul. After the blood was wiped from the floor and Curry was helped to the bench, Andrew Lovedale scored in the lane for a 27-17 Davidson lead with 8:33 left.

The Bulldogs outscored Davidson by 22-12 the rest of the half as Dahn drilled three 3-point shots, the last one a long-range dagger that gave The Citadel a 39-37 lead with 30 seconds to play. Barr got loose for a layup at the buzzer for a 39-39 tie at the break.

"We came out and played pretty well in the first half," Wells said. "We gave a better defensive effort in the first half than in the second. But we had a chance to beat them."

Dahn hit all four of his 3-point tries and scored 14 points as the Bulldogs shot 60 percent in the first half, including 7 of 10 on 3-point tries. Wells hit 5 of 7 shots for 11 points in the first 20 minutes.

Curry played only eight minutes of the first half, hitting 3 of 4 shots, as Davidson shot 50 percent from the field and from 3-point range.

The Citadel is at home to Atlanta Christian on Saturday.

3-Point Field Goals — Cit 15-25 (Dahn 5-7, McDowell 3-5, Urbanus 1-2. Wells 2-4, Brick 1-1, Pandak 1-3, Eykyn 2-3); Dav 15-28 (Sander 0-1, Richards 6-7, Archambault 1-3, Curry 2-7, Bond 0-1, Barr 6-9). Steals — Cit 3 (Wells 2); Dav 11 (Lovedale 4). Blocks — Cit 1 (Dahn); Dav 7 (Curry, 2). Turnovers — Cit 18 (Urbanus 5); Dav 9 (Sander 3). Technicals — None. Att —3,492.