Davidson 68, Presbyterian 54
DAVIDSON, N.C. - JP Kuhlman and Nik Cochran each scored 16 points, and the Wildcats gave up just 23 points in the second half in a 68-54 men's basketball victory over Presbyterian Monday night in Belk Arena.
De'Mon Brooks added 15 points and five rebounds for the Wildcats (3-1), while Jake Cohen collected eight rebounds and seven points. Cochran¹s points all came in the first half.
Al'Lonzo Coleman posted 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds for the Blue Hose (3-3), and Khalid Mutakabbir scored 10.
Davidson held Presbyterian to 39 percent shooting from the field in the game, including 3-for-14 from 3-point range.
With the Wildcats ahead by 10 points, Tyler Kalinoski hit an elbow jumper with the shot clock winding down, and Kuhlman followed that with a triple from the wing to give Davidson a good working margin at 60-45 with 7:48 to play.
The Blue Hose trimmed the margin to 13 points on three occasions, but Davidson answered the charge each time. Kuhlman hit a jumper, Cohen knocked down a triple for the top of the key, and Brooks made a free throw.
Davidson jumped out to a 17-6 lead early in the game as the Wildcats hit seven of their first 10 shots. A Droney putback off his own miss gave Davidson the 11-point advantage 7:03 into the contest.
The Blue Hose came roaring back and scored 12 consecutive points to take their first lead of the contest at 18-17..
Trailing 31-28 late in the half, Davidson scored nine straight points to end the frame and enter the locker room with a 37-31 cushion. Cochran scored six points during the stretch.
Davidson returns to action Saturday, Nov. 26, in a 2 p.m. contest at UNC Wilmington.
Chattanooga 88, Warren Wilson College 36
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Ricky Taylor came off the bench to score 17 points leading the Chattanooga Mocs (1-3) to an 88-36 win over Warren Wilson (3-5) in McKenzie Arena. Taylor was one of four UTC players in double digits.
The story of the night was redshirt sophomore Drew Baker. The former manager, who walked on as a freshman in 2009-10, made his first collegiate start. He scored 14 points making all five shots from the field to go with five rebounds and two steals.
A 19-0 run broke open a 7-4 game early capped by a Dontay Hampton layup on a nice feed from Keegan Bell to give the Mocs a 26-4 advantage at 9:02 of first half. UTC kept the pressure on to take a 45-18 lead into intermission.
The Owls never got closer than 26 in the second frame. Baker's layup at 3:03 gave Chattanooga its largest lead of 53, 86-33, before finishing with the 88-36 victory.
The 36 points allowed is the lowest of the John Shulman era. It's the lowest amount since USC Aiken scored 35 on Nov. 25, 1989 in a 77-35 Mocs win.
USCA is quite notable on this evening. UTC's 21 steals is a new school record topping the 18 against the Pacers on Nov. 23, 1996, a 110-61 Chattanooga victory.
Rashad Ali had 15 points and 11 rebounds for Warren Wilson. He was the lone bright spot as the Owls managed to shoot just 26 percent (13-50) from the field and 14.3 percent (3-21) from three-point range while turning the ball over 29 times. The Mocs scored 33 points off those miscues.
Hampton added 11 points and seven steals in 17 minutes for Chattanooga. Omar Wattad added 10 points as well, while Bell and Ronrico White each chipped in seven assists.
The Mocs return to the court this weekend hosting the Chattanooga Bracket of the Hoosier Classic Friday through Sunday. UTC plays Savannah State on Friday at 7 p.m., SSU and Gardner-Webb play on Saturday at 5 p.m., while the Mocs and Bulldogs square off Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Citadel 97, Florida Christian 44
CHARLESTON, S.C.- Mike Groselle and Barry Smith scored 19 points apiece to lead five Citadel players in double figures as the Bulldogs routed Florida Christian by a final score of 97-44 at McAlister Field House on Monday evening. Groselle became the first Citadel player, since 1974, to record five consecutive double-doubles, finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds, as Bulldog Head Coach Chuck Driesell earned his 100th career coaching victory in dramatic fashion.
Groselle and Smith were joined in double figures by the likes of Ashton Moore (11 points) and C.J. Bray (10 points), as 12 different Bulldogs scored at least one point in the contest. The Citadel converted 36-of-65 (55.4%) from the floor, including 9-of-24 (37.5%) from 3-point range, led by Smith who hit 8-of-15 from the floor. Groselle, who posted a game-high 11 rebounds, was joined in the post by Smith and Bray, who accounted for six rebounds each, to give the Cadets a 46-28 edge on the boards. The Bulldogs improved to 2-2 on the season.
The Florida Christian offense was led by Montique Lynch's 15 points, which came on 5-of-13 shooting. Teammates Joseph Wood (11 points) and Juwon Braye (10 points) rounded out double-digit scorers, while Kenny Blanc pulled down 13 rebounds, including four offensively. The Suns (2-6) were successful on only 16-of-55 (29.1%) field goal attempts, knocking down 5-of-14 (35.7%) from 3-point range.
The Citadel improved on a 58-21 lead at the break by putting together a 14-7 run over the first 7:14 of the second half. Highlighted by four points from Groselle and three from Bo Holston, the Cadets stretched their lead to 70-25. The second half offensive spurt, combined with a 27-10 run that closed the final 9:27 of the first half, allowed the Dogs to outscore the Suns 41-18 over a 16:41 stretch of the contest.
Three points from Lynch and Wood helped Florida Christian to a 10 point spurt over a 4:31 stretch to make the score 79-38 with 8:15 left in the half.
The Citadel allowed just five points over the remainder of the contest and in the process scored 18 points of their own. Reserve Nathan Conley accounted for five of the final 18 points, hitting a long distance 3-pointer from the top of the key and followed with a layup on a fast break pass from Will Keistler with under a minute to go for the 97-44 final.
The 44 points mark the fewest points allowed by The Citadel since a 55-43 victory in the opening round of the 2010 Southern Conference Tournament against Samford.
The Citadel established a 58-21 lead at the half behind 21-of-36 (58.3%) shooting from the field. Groselle netted a half-high 13 points, hitting 3-of-5 from the field, while Smith added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the floor. The combination of Moore (2-4) and Lawrence Miller (2-3) paced a Dogs unit that hit 6-of-14 from beyond the arc, while Groselle's six rebounds anchored the middle.
After falling in an early 2-0 hole, The Citadel responded with an 18-4 run highlighted by 3-pointers from the tandem of Moore, Harris III and Smith, to assume an 18-6 lead at the 13:20 mark.
The onslaught of Citadel points continued after a jumper by Wood, as the Bulldogs put together a 12-3 run behind four points each from Groselle and Jordan Robertson, stretching the lead to 30-11.
Wood and Juwon Braye knocked down a pair of long range 3-pointers for the Suns, but it was the inside-outside threat of Groselle and Miller that allowed The Citadel lead to reach 52-17 at the 4:08 mark. Groselle scored six points in the paint, while Miller added seven points, keyed by two 3-pointers, to make for the 22-6 run.
The Citadel defense allowed just two points over the remainder of the half, while PJ Horgan, Smith and Wright poured in six points offensively. The 58 first half points marked the most for the Dogs this season, breaking a previous record of 46 that came against VMI.
The Bulldogs will enjoy a four-day break before returning to action on Saturday, Nov. 26 at High Point University. Tip-off between the Bulldogs and Panthers is set for 7 p.m.