With Steph Curry in attendance, Davidson knocks off VMI

The shooting might not have been up to Steph Curry standards, but Davidson sent Curry and the other Wildcats fans home happy Tuesday night by clawing their way to a 74-51 victory over VMI.

With Curry, a former Davidson great and a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player in the audience at Belk Arena, the Wildcats overcame a bad shooting night by forcing VMI turnovers and outrebounding the Keydets.

“That was the kind of game you just have to grind out,” Wildcats’ coach Bob McKillop said afterward. “They constantly switch defenses … something we hadn’t seen all year.”

Davidson shot 40.7 percent from the floor, its second-worst shooting performance of the season. But the Wildcats outscored VMI 23-6 over the final eight minutes.

“The guys just grinded it out,” McKillop said. “And Jon Axel was the catalyst for that.

Jon Axel Gudmundsson had nine points, three rebounds and two steals during the closing eight minutes and finished with a game-high 22 points.

The Wildcats built a 44-32 lead a little more than a minute into the second half, but the Keydets, running the Princeton back-door offense, battled back. Taking advantage of Davidson’s shooting problems, VMI narrowed the gap to 51-45 on an Austin Vereen layup. At that point, the Wildcats were shooting 36 percent from the floor.

McKillop called a time out, and his team responded with its big finish, making six of its last nine shots.

“They came at us aggressive,” Gudmundsson said of the Keydets. “It took us a while to figure it out. But we kept working at it.”

Records: VMI is 3-5; Davidson is 4-3.

Three who mattered

Gudmundsson (Davidson): He scored 22 points, hitting 10 of 12 free throws, grabbed seven rebounds and had four steals.

Peyton Aldridge (Davidson): The Wildcats’ senior forward scored 20 points and added seven rebounds and seven assists.

Austin Vereen (VMI): He scored a team-high 12 points, and his defense caused Davidson plenty of problems through much of the second half.

Observations

▪ McKillop said he thought Curry’s presence had an impact on freshman guard Kellan Grady, who hit only 1-of-6 3-point shots. “Our other guys have played before Steph before, but I think it affected Kellan. He was high-energy tonight.”

▪ Davidson held VMI to 38 percent shooting from the floor and forced the Keydets into 17 turnovers. Davidson had only nine turnovers.

▪ The Wildcats were whistled for only nine fouls and didn’t commit their first foul until just four minutes were left in the opening half.

Worth mentioning

▪ Steph Curry, wearing a protective boot to protect the sprained right ankle that will keep him out of action for two weeks, entered Belk Arena early in the first half. Accompanied by his father, Dell, Curry stayed for about 15 minutes after the game, signing autographs for fans.

▪ Tuesday’s game was the last for Davidson at Belk Arena until 2018. The Wildcats play at Virginia on Dec. 16, then will be in Hawaii for the Diamond Head Classic during Christmas. They open Atlantic 10 play Dec. 30 at Richmond, then finally return home Jan. 3 against Saint Louis.

▪ VMI and Davidson hadn’t met since March 2003, when the Keydets upset the defending champion Wildcats in the semifinals of the Southern Conference tournament. The teams first met in 1909, with VMI winning 26-17.

What’s next?

▪ VMI is home Saturday against Longwood; Davidson takes an 11-day break during exams and returns to action Dec. 16 at Virginia.

This story was originally published December 5, 2017 at 9:47 PM with the headline "With Steph Curry in attendance, Davidson knocks off VMI."