Davidson 81, Lenoir-Rhyne 44
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Davidson displayed its balanced scoring attack Saturday night in John M. Belk Arena as four Wildcats scored in double figures in an 81-44 men¹s basketball exhibition victory over Lenoir-Rhyne.
Nik Cochran led the Wildcats with a game-high 19 points, and JP Kuhlman posted 14 points and four assists.
Jake Cohen tallied 14 points and nine rebounds, and Chris Czerapowicz finished with 10 points and 10 boards. Tom Droney recorded eight points, four assists and three rebounds.
Allan Jones led Lenoir-Rhyne with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Matt Kunz posted nine points and six boards.
The Wildcats held the Bears to 25 percent shooting from the field and blocked six shots as a team. Offensively, Davidson made 23-of-29 free throws and committed just 13 turnovers. Cochran, Kuhlman and Czerapowicz combined to go 16-for-18 from the charity stripe.
Leading 23-18 late in the first half, the OCats used a 15-1 run to open a 38-19 cushion and put some distance between themselves and the Bears. Czerapowicz scored six points during the stretch, and Davidson led 38-22 at the break.
Davidson pushed the margin to 28 points at 56-28 with an 18-6 run over the first 7:40 of the second half. Cochran scored seven points during the stretch, and Kuhlman added five. The margin grew to as many as 43 points on a Frank Ben-Eze free throw with 3:18 left in the game.
The Wildcats jumped out to a 15-3 lead to open the contest. Cohen and Kuhlman each scored five points during the run, and the Wildcats held the Bears to 1-for-7 from the field. Lenoir-Rhyne trimmed the margin to 23-18 with 6:41 left in the first half as Jones scored four points in an 11-2 run.
Davidson opens its regular-season schedule against Guilford Friday, Nov. 11, at 8 p.m. in John M. Belk Arena.
College of Charleston 95, Limestone 61
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Six Cougars reached double figures as the College of Charleston men's basketball team knocked off NCAA Division II Limestone College, 95-61, in its final exhibition game of the preseason on Saturday night at TD Arena.
Led by 15 points from sophomore Jordan Scott, the Cougars shot 49.4 percent from the field including 47.6 percent from three-point range. Scott also led the team with four assists. Sophomore Trent Wiedeman registered a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while sophomore James Carlton also notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards including eight on the offensive end.
Senior Antwaine Wiggins, freshman Anthony Stitt and freshman Trevonté Dixon rounded out the Cougars' balanced scoring attack with 14, 11 and 10 points respectively.
Josh Corry led Limestone with a game-high 21 points shooting 7-of-11 from the field and 5-of-7 from beyond the arc.
The Cougars pulled away from Limestone midway through the first half, using several three-pointers from Scott to build a 45-27 lead at halftime. CofC forced eight first-half turnovers, eventually converting 15 of the Saints' miscues into 17 points.
CofC was also effective on the offensive glass, corralling 21 offensive boards and making 21 second-chance points. The Cougars outrebounded Limestone, 53-30.
Freshman Adjehi Baru did not score in the first half after getting into early foul trouble, but exploded for nine points in the first 10 minutes of the second half of play.
The Cougars will next host Holy Cross in their official 2011-12 season home opener on Friday, Nov. 11 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena.
Furman 85, Belmont Abbey 73
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Freshman Dominic Early led four players in double figures with 22 points and Furman converted on 15 three-point attempts in an 85-73 victory over Belmont Abbey in exhibition men's basketball action on Saturday night at Timmons Arena.
The Paladins connected on 15-of-34 long range shots and outscored the Crusaders 45-6 from beyond the arc to rally from a four-point halftime deficit in their only preseason contest.
Early, a 6-foot-5 wing from Atlanta, Ga., made 8-of-12 field goal attempts, including 5-of-7 from three-point range, in 14 minutes of action in his debut as a Paladin. Charlie Reddick, a sophomore, poured in 21 points to go with six rebounds while Bryant Irwin and Bobby Austin added 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The Paladins raced out to an early 22-13 lead, but Kyle Phillips and Jay Council keyed a 16-2 Belmont Abbey run as the Crusaders took a 29-24 lead before going into intermission with a 39-35 advantage on the strength of 50% shooting from the floor in the first half.
Belmont Abbey held a five point lead at the 17:23 mark of the second half when Furman reeled off 10 straight points, including six from Reddick, to grab a 51-46 lead that it would not relinquish. The Paladins shot 56.3% (18-32) from the floor in the second half and buried 8-of-16 second period three-pointers to pull away.
Furman managed a 43-34 edge in rebounding and grabbed 18 offensive boards that led to 21 second chance points. Senior Brandon Sebirumbi sparked the Paladins in the paint with seven boards to go with seven points in 27 minutes of work.
Belmont Abbey, who made just 2-of-12 treys, was led by Phillips' 21 points and game-high nine rebounds while Council tallied 18 points and dished out four assists. Tyshawn Good and Darryl Durham scored 12 and 10 points, respectively. The Crusaders converted on 17-of-19 trips to the foul line and shot 44.3% from the field.
Furman finished at 45.3% from the floor, but made only 12-of-23 from the charity stripe.
The Paladins open the 2011-12 regular season on Friday night when they host Roanoke College at 7:30 p.m. at Timmons Arena.