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Davidson College
at Charlotte
Curry's 32 Not Enough, Wildcats Drop 75-68 Decision to Cross-County Rival
12/5/2007 8:55:41 PM | Men's Basketball
Marc Gignac
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Davidson's Stephen Curry scored 32 points, but Charlotte's Leemire Goldwire went for 34 as the 49ers posted a 75-68 victory over the Wildcats Wednesday night at Halton Arena.
Twelve of Goldwire's points came in the game's final 3:30 to help Charlotte reclaim the Hornets' Nest Trophy after the Wildcats won it at Davidson last year.
The contest had all the characteristics of a heated rivalry – a climactic finish, a raucous crowd, late-game heroics and two teams that were completely gassed when it was over. Curry was 9-for-19 from the field and 7-for-14 from 3-point range, while Goldwire went 10-of-23 from the floor and 9-of-20 from long distance.
With Charlotte (5-2) leading 70-68 and under a minute to play, Goldwire nailed a triple from the wing to make the margin 73-68 with 33 seconds left. Davidson (3-4) missed a couple chances on its trip down the floor, and An'Juan Wilderness came away with the rebound and was fouled.
The freshman went 1-for-2 from the line, and Curry missed a trey from the top of the key. Charlotte corralled the rebound to seal the victory.
A Thomas Sander free throw left the score tied 58-58 with 3:39 to play. Goldwire canned back-to-back 3-pointers with a man in his face, and Charlie Cooley added a conventional 3-point play as Charlotte opened a 67-60 cushion.
After Curry hit a pair of free throws, Goldwire nailed another triple, but Max Paulhus Gosselin answered with a 3-ball to make the margin 70-65 with 1:38 to go.
Davidson got a stop on Charlotte's trip down the floor, and Curry drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key to pull the 'Cats to within two at 70-68 with less than a minute on the clock.
The 49ers pressure defense bothered the Wildcats into a season-low 36.7 shooting percentage and 16 turnovers, but Davidson made up for it by outrebounding Charlotte 49-38, including 15-10 on the offensive end.
Jason Richards posted his sixth career double-double with 11 points and 12 assists. Boris Meno had nine points and 13 rebounds, and Sander finished with seven points and matched his career high with 14 boards.
Trailing 36-35, Charlotte opened the second half with a 10-4 spurt to open a 45-40 advantage. The Wildcats were cold from the floor, making just 2-for-10 from field in the half's first seven minutes.
The Davidson defense answered the bell and kept the 'Cats within striking distance. Davidson held the 49ers without a field goal for a stretch of 4:44 that allowed the Wildcats to make an 11-4 run, capped by consecutive Curry 3-pointers, to reclaim a 51-49 lead with 7:38 remaining.
The Wildcats return to action against No. 7 UCLA (AP Poll) at the Wooden Classic Saturday. It will be the third time this season Davidson has faced a top-10 opponent, and tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. (EST). The game will be televised live on WGN and HDNET.
Game Notes: Curry reached 30 points in the scoring column for the sixth time in his career, and Richards posted double-digit assists for the 10th time… Davidson fell to 0-6 in Halton Arena.
