Davidson rebounds from loss to Clemson,topples cold-shooting Missouri

Jack Gibbs and Peyton Aldridge combined for 46 points and helped Davidson shut down Missouri Friday in a 70-55 victory that sent the Wildcats to Sunday’s fifth-place game of the Tire Pros Invitational.

Davidson (2-1) held Missouri (1-2) to 36 percent shooting and the Tigers went scoreless for the final 5 minutes, 15 seconds of the first half. Freshman Frankie Hughes, who became the first player in Missouri history to score at least 20 points in each of his first two games, was held to two points on 1-of-11 shooting.

Nine of Gibbs’ game-high 26 points came in the first 11 minutes of the second half when Davidson was stretching its lead to 18 points, the largest of the game.

Aldridge finished with 21 points and a game-high seven rebounds.

Davidson will play for fifth place Sunday against the winner of Friday’s Arizona State-Tulane game.

Three Who Mattered

Gibbs, Davidson: Senior guard shot 7-for-16 with four assists and two steals.

Jon Axel Gundmundsson, Davidson: The 6-foot-4 freshman guard from Iceland was the primary defender of Hughes, whose only basket came early in the game.

Kevin Puryear, Missouri: Eight of his 12 points came in the second half and kept the Tigers in the game.

Observations

▪ In Thursday’s loss to Clemson, Davidson’s first six field goals were 3-pointers. Friday’s first six baskets included a dunk, two layups and Will Magarity’s post-up 4-footer.

▪ Willie Jackson provided the Wildcats’ offensive highlight with a high-arching, shot-clock beating runner off the glass late in the game.

▪ Missouri never got within 10 points in the second half.

Worth Mentioning

▪ Missouri did not make a free throw until 13:41 remained in the game.

▪ Davidson made only 5-of-22 3-point shots after hitting five of its first eight.

▪ Missouri did not score a fast-break point.

They Said It

“He knows how to make shots and they do a good job of getting him into position to score. We were just doing our best to try to keep ahead of him at all times because it’s tough for anybody to make a shot when there are hands up.” - Gibbs on the defensive job against Hughes.

“We have a lot of young guys playing a lot of different roles, and I think it’s a big step early in the year. A lot of players feel more confident now. We just had to bounce back from yesterday.” - Aldridge.

“Certainly these two games (including Thursday’s loss to Clemson) exposed our strengths, exposed our weaknesses and gave us the opportunity to get better. We’re pleased at where we are right now, having improved in 48 hours.” - Davidson coach Bob McKillop.

This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Davidson rebounds from loss to Clemson,topples cold-shooting Missouri."