NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Sophomores Stephen Curry and Bryant Barr combined for 36 points and 10 three-pointers as No. 25 Davidson cruised by Wofford 82-49 in the quarterfinals of the 2008 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Saturday afternoon at the North Charleston Coliseum.
The top-seeded Wildcats will meet the winner of this afternoon's second quartfinal between No. 4 Appalachian State and No. 5 UNC Greensboro Saturday at 6 p.m.
It was the 34th consecutive victory against league competition for the Wildcats as they improve to 24-6 overall. It was also Davidson's 20th straight win, the longest current streak in the country.
Curry was 7-of-14 from the floor and 5-of-10 from long distance to score 19 points, while Barr made 6-of-9 from the field and canned 5-of-8 from 3-point range, scoring 17 points. Senior Jason Richards added 13 points and seven assists, and classmate Boris Meno had seven points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Davidson never trailed in the opening 20 minutes and led by as many as 22 (43-21) with 2:02 left, thanks to an 18-4 run, capped off by consecutive three-pointers from Barr and Curry. To go along with their hot shooting from downtown, the Wildcats' defensive pressure held Wofford (16-16) to just one field goal the last 11:41 of the period before heading to the break up, 43-23.
The Wildcats drilled 48.5 percent (16-33) overall and 7-of-17 (41.2 percent) from long range in the first stanza, while holding Wofford to just 24.0 percent (6-25).
Curry started the second half with back-to-back buckets from deep and a 15-4 run gave Davidson a comfortable 58-30 cushion early in the frame. The margin grew to as many as 35 points (71-36) following a Richards' runner with 6:58 left.
Drew Gibson paced two Wofford players in double digits with 24 points, while Noah Dahlman contributed 10 points and seven boards.
Behind Andrew Lovedale's team-high 11 rebounds, Davidson dominated the glass 50-36, as Wofford was 16-for-57 from the field.
No. 5 UNC Greensboro 63, No. 4 Appalachian State 46
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NORTH CHARLESTON, SC ? Kyle Hines scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, including 13 in a row at one point, to lift UNC Greensboro past Appalachian State, 63-46, in the quarterfinal round of the 2008 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Hines, who recorded his 45th career double-double and 14t h of the season, also had 10 rebounds and five blocks in the game. In the process, he also extended his nation’s best double figure scoring string to 80 consecutive games. A career 59 percent free throw shooter, Hines was a perfect 8-for-8 from the line on Saturday, all in the second half. He converted four conventional three-point plays in the final 20 minutes.
“I was pleased with our effort tonight,” said UNC Greensboro coach Mike Dement. “Appalachian State made us work for what we got. Nothing comes easy at tournament time.”
UNCG advances to face Davidson on Sunday at 6 pm in the semifinal round. The Wildcats handled Wofford, 82-49, in the day’s first quarterfinal match-up. Sunday’s game will be televised by SportSouth.
Kendall Toney was the only other Spartan in double figures, finishing with 10 key points. He scored all of those in the first half as UNCG’s offense sputtered at times. Still, the Spartans managed a seven-point halftime lead with Toney leading the way.
Appalachian State (18-13) got 13 points from Jeremy Clayton and 12 from Kellen Brand. The Mountaineers were hurt by 2-for-9 free throw shooting, while UNCG was a perfect 13-for-13 at the charity stripe. UNCG also held a 38-33 advantage on the glass, including a 24-15 rebounding advantage in the second half.
Defense was the theme at the outset as the team’s combined for just three field goals in the first five minutes of the contest. In fact, in the first eight minutes of the contest, the Mountaineers missed eight of 11 from the floor and UNCG missed 10 out of 12. Eventually, the teams found a rhythm, UNCG first by scoring eight straight points to erase a 7-2 deficit.
Appalachian State led 16-15 with 6:20 left in the half before the Spartans scored 13 straight, sparked by a Landon Clement three-pointer. The Mountaineers went more than five minutes without a field goal before they scored the last five points of the half. Despite Hines behind held to a first-half season-low four points in the first 20 minutes and UNCG not attempting a first half free throw, the Spartans still held a 28-21 advantage heading to the locker room.
Defense took over again to open the second half. The Mountaineers went the first 5:40 without a field goal, but UNCG only managed two themselves to stretch its lead back to 12 at 33-21.
UNCG maintained that margin for a while as Hines scored 13 straight points, including three conventional three-point plays. Midway through the second half, though, the Mountaineers went on a 9-2 run. After ASU recorded just four field goals over a 16-minute span, five straight points by Jeremy Clayton cut the Spartan lead to 40-34 with 8:22 to play.
But UNCG had an answer and it began with Hines. The third of the three three-point plays took the margin back to nine and began an 11-2 burst for UNCG. The run was capped off by another conventional three-point play by Hines, on which Appalachian State’s big man Donte Minter fouled out with 5:29 to play. That left UNCG with a 51-36 lead and ASU never got closer than 13 after that.
For the game, Appalachian State’s shot 35.7 percent from the floor. The Mountaineers shot 51.5 percent in the two regular season meetings with UNCG. Its 46 points were the lowest ASU has had in a conference tournament game.