Kellan Grady scores 24 points, leads Davidson past Cleveland State in opener

Davidson made up for a chilly shooting night with rebounding and sheer tenacity Tuesday night, rolling over visiting Cleveland State 83-63 in a college basketball opener.

The Wildcats made 41.7 percent of their shots from the floor but piled up a 47-25 rebounding edge and a 20-1 advantage in second-chance points. They also had a huge (21-2) lead in offensive rebounds.

The visiting Vikings trailed by 11 at the half but got as close as 42-35 with 18:20 remaining. Davidson then went on a 6-0 run and coasted from there.

Kellan Grady led the Wildcats with 24 points, and Jon Axel Gudmundsson added 16.

The combination of rebounding and hustle helped Davidson build its first-half lead.

The Vikings led 19-16 with 10:50 remaining in the half, but Davidson went on a 7-0 run over the next 70 seconds.

Grady brought the crowd to its feet when he connected on a 3-pointer, then stole the ball near midcourt on Cleveland State’s next possession and dashed downcourt for a layup. That gave Davidson a 33-22 lead, and the Wildcats maintained a margin of 8-11 points for the rest of the half.

Grady scored 16 first-half points, hitting 6 of his 11 shots. The rest of the Davidson team shot 38 percent (11 of 29).

Cleveland State double-teamed Grady for much of the second half, and the Davidson sophomore standout was shut out until connecting on a 3-pointer with 10:40 left. That gave the Wildcats a 64-49 lead.

The bulge reached 20 points, 73-53, on a tip-in by Dusan Kovacevic with 6:15 to play.

Records: Cleveland State is 0-1; Davidson is 1-0.

Three who mattered

Kellan Grady (Davidson): Grady made 8-of-15 from the floor, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range, for 24 points.

KiShawn Pritchett (Davidson): Pritchett, a junior from Lake Norman High, was near the center of action all night. He scored nine points, grabbed seven rebounds, and had five assists.

Rashad Williams (Cleveland State): Williams, one of three freshmen regulars in the Viking lineup, hit 5-of-7 from 3-point range and finished with a team-high 15 points.

Worth mentioning

▪ Davidson’s four-guard starting lineup didn’t seem to hurt the Wildcats on the boards. Gudmundsson, Pritchett, Grady and Carter Collins – all guards – shared the team rebounding lead with seven apiece.

▪ Gudmundsson made only 5-of-16 from the floor but hit his last three shots. He also had seven assists and seven rebounds.

▪ Cleveland State coach Dennis Felton is a familiar name to some in the region. He was head coach from 2003-2009 at Georgia, taking the Bulldogs to the NCAA once and the NIT two times.

▪ A nice moment before the game. The microphone malfunctioned for the young woman who sang the National Anthem. The crowd picked up on the problem and began singing loudly, lending an assist.

▪ The Wildcats have installed new LED lighting at Belk Arena. The lights are designed to be “softer.” The upper rows of seats seem to be darker than in the past.

They said it

<bullet>”The 21 offensive rebounds we got is unprecedented in my time here. They (Cleveland State) had two offensive rebounds.” – Davidson coach Bob McKillop.

What’s next?

Cleveland State is home Saturday against Kent State; Davidson is home Friday against Dartmouth.