Thursday, March 5
DAVIDSON
9:00 pm
Davidson College
22-6, 13-4 A-10
82
vs
55
VCU (ESPNU)
21-9, 11-6 A-10
1
2
F
VCU
21
34
55
Davidson
40
42
82
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Kalinoski and Wildcats Run Past VCU, 82-55
3/5/2015 11:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Box Score (PDF)
McKillop Postgame Interview
Photo Gallery
DavidsonPhotos.com
Courtesy of Steve Reed
DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) — The Davidson Wildcats were picked to finish 12th in the Atlantic 10 conference.
This Saturday night they'll have a chance to play for at least a share of the regular season conference title when they visit Duquesne — not bad for a team in its first year in the A-10 after moving up from the less competitive Southern Conference.
Tyler Kalinoski had 22 points on senior night, Jack Gibbs had 15 points and eight assists and Davidson routed Virginia Commonwealth 82-55 on Thursday for its eighth straight win. The 27-point loss was the worst in the coach Shaka Smart era at VCU.
Jordan Barham added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Wildcats (22-6, 13-4 Atlantic 10), who pulled back into a first-place tie with Dayton with one game remaining for both teams.
It was a resounding win for Davidson, considered a bubble team as the NCAA Tournament approaches.
"This is a big statement for us," Kalinoski said. "It's a huge win for our program."
Coach Bob McKillop admitted he doesn't know what to think about this team anymore.
"I'm still shocked," McKillop said when asked if this team has surpassed expectations. "They shock me every day. They shock me the way they come to practice every day and they want to get better. They are not content. There is a quiet confidence with a balance of humility, which is quite a combination of character traits."
Meanwhile, the struggles continue for VCU (21-9, 11-6), which has lost three straight games including two last week to fall out of the AP top 25.
Smart admitted after the game he's a little concerned with his team's drop off in play and that things need to change soon.
"We did a better job of disrupting them the first time around" in a 71-65 win in January, Smart said. "There was no disruption tonight. They did pretty much what they wanted to do."
The Wildcats shot 11 of 26 from 3-point range; while the Rams were 1 of 15.
VCU came into the game forcing more than 16 turnovers a game, but Davidson had little problem beating the "havoc" full-court press and their ball movement in half court sets gave the Rams fits.
In fact, it was Davidson that won the turnover battle, forcing 16 VCU turnovers while committing just 12.
"We attacked the attacker," Kalinoski said. "It set the tone for us; we were able to put them on their heels."
Not that anyone should be surprised.
Davidson came into the game first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio and the nation's seventh-highest scoring team.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 12-2 lead before extending the lead to 19 at halftime.
Gibbs was the catalyst for the Wildcats, slicing through the Rams defense and finding teammates for open 3-pointers. Brian Sullivan had three 3-pointers in the first half and the Wildcats were 6 of 13 from beyond the arc. Sullivan had 11 points. Gibbs added six rebounds and four steals, helping control the tempo of the game.
"The performance of our players was magnificent," McKillop said. "That is as fine of a performance from start to finish that we have ever had at Belk Arena."
The Rams could never cut the lead below 15 in the second half.
Davidson increased its lead to 74-49 late in the second half behind a dunk by Peyton Aldridge off an offensive rebound.
Terry Larrier led the Rams with 12 points.
TIP-INS
Davidson: The Wildcats dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Rams 41-32.
VCU: The Rams didn't help themselves at the free throw line, finishing just 12 of 24.
UP NEXT
Davidson: Hosts Duquesne on Saturday night.
VCU: Hosts George Mason on Saturday night.
McKillop Postgame Interview
Photo Gallery
DavidsonPhotos.com
Courtesy of Steve Reed
DAVIDSON, N.C. (AP) — The Davidson Wildcats were picked to finish 12th in the Atlantic 10 conference.
This Saturday night they'll have a chance to play for at least a share of the regular season conference title when they visit Duquesne — not bad for a team in its first year in the A-10 after moving up from the less competitive Southern Conference.
Tyler Kalinoski had 22 points on senior night, Jack Gibbs had 15 points and eight assists and Davidson routed Virginia Commonwealth 82-55 on Thursday for its eighth straight win. The 27-point loss was the worst in the coach Shaka Smart era at VCU.
Jordan Barham added 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Wildcats (22-6, 13-4 Atlantic 10), who pulled back into a first-place tie with Dayton with one game remaining for both teams.
It was a resounding win for Davidson, considered a bubble team as the NCAA Tournament approaches.
"This is a big statement for us," Kalinoski said. "It's a huge win for our program."
Coach Bob McKillop admitted he doesn't know what to think about this team anymore.
"I'm still shocked," McKillop said when asked if this team has surpassed expectations. "They shock me every day. They shock me the way they come to practice every day and they want to get better. They are not content. There is a quiet confidence with a balance of humility, which is quite a combination of character traits."
Meanwhile, the struggles continue for VCU (21-9, 11-6), which has lost three straight games including two last week to fall out of the AP top 25.
Smart admitted after the game he's a little concerned with his team's drop off in play and that things need to change soon.
"We did a better job of disrupting them the first time around" in a 71-65 win in January, Smart said. "There was no disruption tonight. They did pretty much what they wanted to do."
The Wildcats shot 11 of 26 from 3-point range; while the Rams were 1 of 15.
VCU came into the game forcing more than 16 turnovers a game, but Davidson had little problem beating the "havoc" full-court press and their ball movement in half court sets gave the Rams fits.
In fact, it was Davidson that won the turnover battle, forcing 16 VCU turnovers while committing just 12.
"We attacked the attacker," Kalinoski said. "It set the tone for us; we were able to put them on their heels."
Not that anyone should be surprised.
Davidson came into the game first in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio and the nation's seventh-highest scoring team.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 12-2 lead before extending the lead to 19 at halftime.
Gibbs was the catalyst for the Wildcats, slicing through the Rams defense and finding teammates for open 3-pointers. Brian Sullivan had three 3-pointers in the first half and the Wildcats were 6 of 13 from beyond the arc. Sullivan had 11 points. Gibbs added six rebounds and four steals, helping control the tempo of the game.
"The performance of our players was magnificent," McKillop said. "That is as fine of a performance from start to finish that we have ever had at Belk Arena."
The Rams could never cut the lead below 15 in the second half.
Davidson increased its lead to 74-49 late in the second half behind a dunk by Peyton Aldridge off an offensive rebound.
Terry Larrier led the Rams with 12 points.
TIP-INS
Davidson: The Wildcats dominated on the glass, outrebounding the Rams 41-32.
VCU: The Rams didn't help themselves at the free throw line, finishing just 12 of 24.
UP NEXT
Davidson: Hosts Duquesne on Saturday night.
VCU: Hosts George Mason on Saturday night.
Team Stats
VCU
DAV
FG%
.396
.509
3FG%
.067
.423
FT%
.500
.619
RB
32
41
TO
16
12
STL
9
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
7
3FGM
3
FTM
5
Pts
15
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
F
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