Davidson trips Charlotte 49ers, retains Hornet’s Nest Trophy

The Hornet’s Nest Trophy remains at Davidson for another year thanks to the Wildcats’ 85-70 victory over the Charlotte 49ers on Tuesday at Halton Arena.

The Wildcats (3-2) won the bragging-rights game against their Mecklenburg County rivals 49ers (3-3) for a fifth consecutive season. Getting strong performances from senior forward Peyton Aldridge (25 points), sophomore guard Jon Axel Gudmundsson (12 points, 10 assists, six rebounds and four steals) and freshman guard Kellan Grady (22), the game was never really in doubt. The Wildcats, who had lost consecutive games against Nevada and Appalachian State, jumped to an early double-digit lead .

Charlotte still leads the series against Davidson 28-16. The 49ers are also up 22-13 in games for the trophy. But Davidson has turned things around in recent seasons with the five-game winning streak.

Davidson, which held the 49ers to 44.2 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers, led 24-13 in the first half and seemed to be in control. But a 49ers comeback, fueled by guard Andrien White (22 points), allowed Charlotte to get within 37-32 at halftime.

49ers point guard Jon Davis didn’t appear to be fully recovered from an ankle injury he suffered last Friday against High Point, scoring five points and turning the ball over seven times.

Three who mattered

Peyton Aldridge: Davidson’s senior forward was at his best against his school’s biggest rival, scoring 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting. He also had seven rebounds and four assists. Aldridge and Davidson’s other seniors didn’t lose to Charlotte in their careers.

Kellan Grady: The Wildcats’ freshman guard put on a display of shooting and athletic moves, scoring 22 points, grabbing five rebounds and handing out two assists.

Andrien White: The 49ers’ junior guard kept his team in it for a while, scoring 22 points (12 of them from the free-throw line).

Observations

▪ The 49ers had trouble making free throws in a victory last week against High Point, going 20-for-37. So coach Mark Price had the team focus on free-throw shooting during practice over the weekend. It didn’t help much in the first half, with the 49ers going 4-of-8 from the foul line.

▪ Davis suffered a cut to his left hand in the first half and game was stopped for a few minutes to get some of his blood wiped off the ball. Davis returned in the second half in a new jersey, and with a new number (25) from his usual No. 3.

▪ Grady, who went scoreless in a loss against Appalachian State on Saturday, regained his form in the first half, scoring 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting (2-for-4 3-pointers).

▪ The Wildcats had 12 assists on their 15 made baskets in the first half.

▪ The 49ers cut the Davidson lead to 37-32 at halftime, thanks to a late-half surge led by guard Andrien White and center Jailan Haslem. White had all 10 of his first-half points in the final 6 minutes, 24 seconds of the half. White got Charlotte’s final basket on a dunk from an inbounds pass by freshman Jaylan McGill with three seconds left.

▪ Things got chippy late in the game when Davis and Davidson’s Jon Axel Gudmundsson got tangled on the floor. Davis got up angrily and the two had to be separated. Davidson’s Rusty Reigel also had to be restrained. Reigel and Davis were called for technical fouls.

▪ The Wildcats play again on Friday against No. 13 North Carolina at Spectrum Center. Charlotte goes on the road to face James Madison on Saturday.

Quoting

“We really stepped it up on the defensive end. We always preach to be a band of brothers out there.” -- Aldridge.

“We were very connected ... and cohesive.” -- Davidson coach Bob McKillop on his team’s defensive effort.

“This is a rivalry that I have great respect for. I have been a part of it for so long. There have been some sensational players and games. It’s important to Davidson College and I’m sure it’s important to Charlotte, too.” -- McKillop.

“We had a lack of intensity the whole game. I didn’t like the body language.” -- Charlotte coach Mark Price.

“That’s one thing we have to work on: executing what we’ve been working on all week.” -- White.

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Davidson trips Charlotte 49ers, retains Hornet’s Nest Trophy."