Stout Second-Half Defense Cues 'Cats to 78-61 Triumph

Thursday, February 12

Spartanburg, S.C.

7:00 p.m.

Davidson College Athletics

Wofford

Stout Second-Half Defense Cues 'Cats to 78-61 Triumph

2/12/2009 10:17:22 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Matt Harris

Box Score
A View From Press Row: REBOUND!

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Behind Stephen Curry's 39 points, the Davidson Wildcats used an 18-2 run over the final seven minutes of play on their way to a 78-61 Southern Conference victory over Wofford Thursday night at a sold-out Benjamin Johnson Arena.

In the second half, Davidson (21-4, 14-1) outscored Wofford 42-20, holding the Terriers to 27 percent shooting from the field, causing them to miss all eight 3-point attempts in the half and shoot 3-14 overall from behind the arc.

Curry shot 14-of-24 from the field, including 5-of-8 from behind the 3-point line, on the way to a game-high scoring total and the 27th 30-point effort of his career.

Davidson fell behind 11-2 to start the game, but then responded with eight unanswered points over the next two minutes to pull within one, 11-10.

Curry scored 11-straight points for the 'Cats to help cut the Wofford (11-12, 7-7) lead to two with 2:16 remaining in the half, part of his 20 first-half points. The Terriers used a 57 percent shooting effort in the frame to go into halftime with a 41-36 advantage.

The Wildcats knocked down 3-pointers on their first three possessions to fuel a 19-4 run and erase the Wofford lead, pulling ahead for the first time in the contest on a runner in the lane by Curry to push the score to 47-45 with 17 minutes remaining.

With the lead cut to one with seven minutes remaining, Bryant Barr connected on a 3-pointer from the corner, jump-starting the Davidson offense and beginning a run that pushed the lead back into double-digits.

The 'Cats controlled the boards, out-rebounding Wofford 44-30, including an 18-8 advantage on the offensive end. Davidson shot 44.4 percent from the field and 50 percent in the second half.

Andrew Lovedale just missed a double-double on the night, scoring 10 points and pulling down a game-high nine rebounds. Max Paulhus Gosselin and Barr both hit a pair of treys, with Paulhus-Gosselin adding a season-high eight boards.

Wofford's Noah Dahlman scored 14 first-half points, finishing with a team-high 18, and was joined in the double-digit scoring category by Terry Martin's 10 points.

Up next for the Wildcats is a matchup at Furman on Feb. 14. The 4 p.m. contest will be televised on MASN from Timmons Arena in Greenville, S.C.

NOTES: Davidson has been victorious in 44 of its last 45 SoCon regular season games, dating back to 2007 … With his five 3s, Curry moved into the top ten in NCAA Division I career 3-pointers; he now has 382 in his career … Curry passed John Gerdy for fifth place on the Davidson single-season scoring list, finishing the game with 728 points so far this year … The sellout crowd was the second one in the history of Benjamin Johnson Arena, and the first since South Carolina played Wofford in 2001.