Davidson College
George Mason
'Cats, Patriots Square Off New Year's Eve
12/30/2024 4:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DAVIDSON WILDCATS (10-3, 0-0 A-10) vs. GEORGE MASON PATRIOTS (9-4, 0-0 A-10)
SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: Davidson leads, 8-4
First Meeting: Jan. 24, 2015 | Davidson won, 80-73 OT
Last Meeting: Feb. 10, 2024 | Mason won, 57-55
Davidson Record at Home: 4-2
Davidson Record on Road: 3-2
Davidson Record at Neutral Site: 1-0
Matt McKillop's Record: 0-2
WILDCAT SCRATCHES
• After closing out the non-conference season with its 10th win of the season, Davidson begins Atlantic 10 Conference play on New Year's Eve at George Mason.
• The 'Cats are a perfect 8-0 on McKillop Court this year.
• Davidson's big three - Reed Bailey, Connor Kochera and Bobby Durkin - are averaging 17.9, 16.8 and 15.4 points per game, respectively.
• Zach Laput and Roberts Blums have aided the offensive effort, averaging 8.2 and 5.9 points per game, respectively, through non-conference action.
• Davidson's Bobby Durkin currently ranks first in the Atlantic 10 in 3-point percentage (45.3%) and in 3-pointers per game (3.31). Those same metrics also rank 21st and 24th nationally.
LAST TIME OUT | DAVIDSON 86, EASTERN MICHIGAN 64 | DEC. 28, 2024 | JOHN M. BELK ARENA
• Behind a career-high 34 points from Connor Kochera, Davidson concluded non-conference play with a convincing 86-64 victory over Eastern Michigan Saturday afternoon inside John M. Belk Arena.
• It's the second straight win for the Wildcats (10-3), who have also won five of their last six and improved to 8-0 on Bob McKillop Court.
• The first Wildcat to hit the 30-point plateau since David Skogman scored 30 at Charlotte last November, Kochera connected on his first seven shots from the floor and finished 11-of-13 to go along with a 9-of-12 effort from the
charity stripe.
• Sophomore Mike Loughnane also had a career day for the 'Cats, knocking down four treys to score 12 points, while fellow starters Bobby Durkin and Zach Laput added 17 and 10 points, respectively.
OUT WITH A BANG
• Amidst Davidson's second-straight 10-3 start under head coach Matt McKillop, the Wildcats have closed out non-conference action shooting 54 percent from the floor over their last four halves of play.
• After shooting 52.9 percent from the field against Bethune-Cookman, the 'Cats torched the nets again at a 53.1 percent clip versus Eastern Michigan.
• The four-half stretch marks the first time Davidson has shot 50 percent in four consecutive halves since the 'Cats did so in 2018, in back-to-back days against Saint Louis and St. Bonaventure, to advance to the A-10 Championship game in Washington, D.C.
CK23
• Connor Kochera returns for his third season at Davidson, after starting all 32 games last year.
• The William & Mary transfer became the fifth transfer and 55th player in a Davidson uniform to join the 1,000-point club on Feb. 7, 2024 with a 19-point performance against Duquesne.
• Last year, Kochera recorded five 20+ point performances, four of which occurred during Atlantic 10 Conference play, and scored in double figures 21 times, including 11 consecutive games to close out the season. He also averaged 18 points per game over the final 11 games of the year.
• In his time at William & Mary, Kochera was named the 2021 CAA Rookie of the Year.
• The fifth year captain is averaging 16.8 points per game this year, with a career-high 34 points against Eastern Michigan and four 20-point performances. Kochera was named A-10 Player of the Week on Dec. 30 for his efforts against the Eastern Michigan Eagles.
ATLANTIC 10 SUCCESS
• Since joining the A-10 in 2014-15, Davidson has won two regular season titles (2015, 2022), a tournament title (2018) and made three NCAA Tournaments (2015, 2018, 2022).
• The Wildcats have made the tournament semifinals nine of the last 10 years.
