Saturday, March 04, 2006

Davidson 65 Elon 58

"Focus. Loose Balls and Rebounds. Communication. I felt like we executed our points of emphasis very well today."
Bob McKillop

With their seven point victory over Elon, Davidson advances to their 15th SoCon title game where they hold a record of 7-7, 2-2 under Coach McKillop. The Wildcats were able to hold off the Phoenix by aggressive offensive sets and defensive intensity. Davidson outrebounded their opponents by 39-23, combining for a mark of 82-42 over the last two games. Sander led all rebounders with 11, while Meno and Winters both had 7. Ian Johnson led all scorers with 23 points off of 5-6 3pt shooting. It was the 10th time that the All-Conference selection had recorded at least 20 points this season.

Jason Richards had some key minutes in the second half when Kenny Grant picked up his fourth foul. Richards kept the intensity high for the Cats' offense, which created a by-product of high turnovers (17). "We realize that turnovers are a part of aggressive play," said Coach McKillop. "But our focus this time is on winning the tournament, not trying not to lose it."

Davidson is certainly playing wide open basketball right now and hopefully that calm will carry over to tomorrow's game against Chattanooga. Davidson will have to overcome a 1-5 overall record against the Mocs in tournament play. Chattanooga shot 52.9% today against Appalachian State, a number that is unusually high for them. They rely on fast-paced ball movement and getting lots of opportunities at scoring.

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