Davidson Cruises Past Monmouth in Home Opener, 69-53

Calendar

No Upcoming Events

DAVIDSON, N.C. – Led by Brendan McKillop's 17 points, Davidson held the lead from midway through the first half to the end as the Wildcats won their 19th consecutive home opener with a 69-53 victory over Monmouth in non-conference men's basketball action Monday night in Belk Arena.

All 17 points for McKillop came from the field, as he hit 5-of-10 from beyond the arc and converted his lone two-point attempt. He also had two assists and two steals.

Davidson improved to 3-3 with the win. JP Kuhlman and Jake Cohen both reached double-figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Cohen finished one rebound short of a double-double with nine, and added three blocks and two assists. Kuhlman hit 6-of-7 free throws to go along with six assists and five boards.

Ed Waite led Monmouth (1-3) with 15 points and eight rebounds. Will Campbell added 12 points and four rebounds. Marcus Ware had six boards.

Davidson shot 44.4 percent (24-for-54) for the game and held Monmouth to 35.8 percent (19-for-53).

Waite scored four points, Nick Deltufo hit a trey and Campbell made a bucket as Monmouth cut the Wildcats' 17-point lead to eight midway through the second half, but after getting another defensive stop, the Hawks committed an offensive foul away from the ball and were tagged with a technical foul.

Kuhlman then hit both free throws to give Davidson a double-digit lead they would not relinquish as Davidson's defense yielded just two field goals over the final eight minutes of the game.

The Wildcats extended the lead to as much as 18 with 47 seconds remaining with a 13-4 run.

Monmouth had cut into Davidson's 10-point halftime lead to start the second half, pulling within six, but the 'Cats responded with a 14-3 run in which McKillop sank a pair of three-pointers and Jordan Downing, Kuhlman, Frank Ben-Eze and Clint Mann added a bucket each to take a 55-38 cushion.

The first half was a seesaw battle that saw six lead changes before the 'Cats went on a 10-1 run to open their largest to that point at 11 points. Ben-Eze started the run by tipping in a missed layup, and McKillop followed with a three-ball and a layup off the top of the glass. Kuhlman gave the 'Cats a 37-26 advantage by sinking a contested three-pointer on which he was fouled on from the top of the key. Monmouth's Jordan Davis answered with a trey of his own, but Ben Allison made a pair of free throws to send the Wildcats to the locker room with a 39-29 advantage.

Downing finished with nine points off the bench, while Mann scored eight points to go along with five rebounds. Ben-Eze totaled five points, eight boards and three blocks. Nik Cochran added four helpers.

Davidson will next head to Charleston, S.C. to open their Southern Conference schedule, taking on College of Charleston Thursday and The Citadel Saturday.

Notes: The 'Cats 10-point lead at halftime was their largest so far this season … their 18-point lead was also their largest so far this season … McKillop has led the 'Cats in scoring in 4-of-6 six games.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results