Box Score
Josh Gross scored 13 points and recorded five steals after receiving the starting nod |
GREENSBORO, NC — Davidson freshman Brendan Winters poured in a career-high 31 points, including 15-of-18 from the free-throw line, to lead the Wildcats past UNCG, 84-77, in Southern Conference men's basketball action from the Greensboro Coliseum Tuesday night.
Winters went 6-for-10 from the floor and 4-for-4 from 3-point territory to pace three Davidson players in double figures. Michel Lusakueno scored 16 points, including 8-of-10 from the charity stripe. Terrell Ivory added 11 points off the bench.
Davidson (14-7, 8-3 SoCon) led from the opening tip, by as many as 13 points, but UNCG (6-17, 2-9 SoCon) continued to fight back. The Spartans cut the deficit to four points on four occasions and five points seven other times. Each time the Wildcats would push the lead back to double digits.
Trailing 55-44 with 13:35 left, the Spartans went on a 15-4 run to get even, 59-59, with 8:41 left in regulation. It was the first time UNCG was even since the opening tip. Davidson grabbed the lead by three, 64-61, with 5:30 left following a pair of Winters free-throws and two Lusakueno layups. Maye brought the Spartans back within a point, 64-63, with a layup at 5:11.
After Lusakueno split a pair of free-throws, Josh Gross drilled a 25-foot desperation 3-pointer as the shot clock ran down to give the Spartans its first, and proved to be only, lead 66-65 with 4:25 left. The lead would last only 27-seconds.
The Wildcats answered with back-to-back 3-point field goals, one from Matt McKillop and one from Winters, a Wayne Bernard dunk and a Winters layup to regain a nine-point advantage, 77-68. UNCG got within four points, 79-75, in the final two minutes, but Davidson made 7-of-8 from the line down the stretch.
Jay Joseph and Maye each scored 16 points to lead the Spartans.Gross scored 13 points, registered five steals, while Ray Bristow rounded out the quartet of double figure scorers with 11 points. Bristow also added six assists and four steals.
The Wildcats shot 54.3% (25-for-46) from the field and 25-of-30 from the free-throw line. UNCG shot 40.3% (27-for-67) from the floor and 75.0% (15-of-20) from the charity stripe.
UNCG opened the game frigid from the floor. The Spartans missed 14 of its first 17 shots, while Davidson knocked down 7-for-10. The Wildcats jumped out to an 18-6 lead, but UNCG slowly crawled back into the game.
The Spartans scored seven consecutive points to get within five points, 18-13, with 8:59 remaining. UNCG then closed the gap to just four points, 22-18, following Jay Joseph's 3-pointer at 6:07. The Wildcats extended its lead to as many as 13 points, 35-22, but the Spartans closed the half on a 9-2 run to enter halftime down six, 37-31.
UNCG shot just 34.4% (11-for-32) from the field, while the Wildcats shot 52.4% (11-for-21) from the field. Davidson was victimized by 14 first-half turnovers. The Wildcats also won the battle of the boards in the opening 20 minutes, 22-12.
The Spartans return to action Saturday afternoon at The Citadel. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
