Peyton Aldridge scores 29 in first half, leads Davidson past Saint Joseph’s

Davidson’s Wildcats put together 40 strong minutes of basketball in a 91-62 Atlantic 10 victory Tuesday against Saint Joseph’s at Belk Arena.

But it was the first 20 minutes of work put in by Davidson senior Peyton Aldridge that made this one memorable for the Wildcats.

Aldridge, a 6-foot-8 forward, scored 29 of his 32 points in the first half as Davidson (13-9, 8-3 A-10) rolled to a 51-28 lead, an individual performance exceeded in school history only by former All-American Stephen Curry.

It was the third highest scoring total in a half in Davidson history. Curry scored 31 against Chattanooga in 2008 and 30 against Gonzaga in the 2008 NCAA tournament.

Aldridge was unstoppable in the first half, making 12-of-16 shots, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range. He also had six rebounds and two assists and a block.

With the game in hand, Aldridge cooled off in the second half. He converted an and-one on the first possession of the second half to get to 32 points, but that would be it for him for the game. By that time, the Wildcats were in firm control. As dominant as Aldridge was, Davidson’s defense was equally as effective in handing Saint Joseph’s (9-14, 4-7) its fifth consecutive loss. Playing primarily a zone, the Wildcats limited the Hawks to 42.3 percent shooting, including 37.5 percent in the first half.

The Wildcats finished making 20-of-39 3 pointers, and had 27 assists on 34 made baskets.

Three who mattered

Aldridge: Davidson’s senior forward outscored Saint Joseph’s 29-28 in the first half. He finished with 32 points, nine rebounds and four assists.

KiShawn Pritchett: The Wildcats guard scored 12 points in 4-of-6 3-point shooting. He also had nine assists, zero turnovers and two rebounds.

Shavar Newkirk: Saint Joseph’s guard led the Hawks with 16 points, the team’s only double-figure scorer.

Observations

▪ The last time a Davidson player outscored an entire opposing team in a half was Curry in another game against Chattanooga in 2008, when he had 27 at halftime and the Mocs had 26.

▪ The Saint Joseph’s radio analyst is Joe Lunardi, better known probably as ESPN’s “bracketoligist.” True to form, the Saint Joseph’s hawk mascot, which never misses a game, didn’t miss this one, either.

▪ Next up for the Wildcats is their biggest A-10 test of the season, a game Friday at No. 18 Rhode Island. The Rams (19-3, 11-0) have a three-game lead on second-place Davidson. Saint Joseph’s next game is Saturday at home against Massachusetts.

Quoting

“I’ve been shooting the ball well in practice, but that doesn’t necessarily always translate into games. Tonight they all kind of piled into one. The hoop seemed a little bigger.” -- Aldridge.

“A huge lift. We could use that every game.” -- Pritchett, on Aldridge’s first half.

“(Aldridge) goes to practice as if he only played 10 minutes in the previous game and he’s fighting for a starting spot.” -- Davidson coach Bob McKillop.

This story was originally published February 6, 2018 at 9:44 PM with the headline "Peyton Aldridge scores 29 in first half, leads Davidson past Saint Joseph’s."