Hot-shooting Davidson downs Charlotte 49ers for Hornets’ Nest Trophy

Davidson’s hot shooting was too much for the Charlotte 49ers in a 76-56 Wildcats victory Tuesday at Belk Arena.

The Wildcats (6-1) claimed the Hornets’ Nest Trophy over their Mecklenburg County rivals for a sixth consecutive season. Charlotte (2-3) still leads the all-time series 28-17.

Davidson shot 51.9 percent from the floor and got 25 points from sophomore guard Kellan Grady. The Wildcats led 35-27 at halftime but began to put it out of reach early in the second half. Davidson scored the first five points of the half on a drive by Jon Axel Gudmundsson and a 3-pointer by Grady, and the 49ers couldn’t recover.

The 49ers got 16 points from senior guard Jon Davis. Sophomore Milos Supica added 14 points.

The Wildcats went on a 16-5 run midway through the first half to take a 23-13 lead with 10 minutes, 3 seconds to play. A short jumper and then a 3-pointer from Dravon Mangum allowed the 49ers to get to within five points, but the Wildcats were able to extend the lead again by halftime.

Three who mattered

Grady, Davidson: Scored 25 after going for a season-high 30 points on Saturday against Northeastern.

Gudmundsson, Davidson: 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists for the Wildcats’ do-everything guard.

Milos Supica, Charlotte: Was a strong inside presence for the 49ers, scoring 14 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

Worth mentioning

▪ 49ers coach Ron Sanchez went with a smaller and less-experienced lineup to start the game. Freshman guard Brandon Younger replaced senior center Jailan Haslem, meaning Charlotte had four true freshmen in the starting lineup.

▪ The Wildcats’ nine-point lead was built on 53.8 percent shooting and by outscoring the 49ers 18-8 in the paint. Grady, who had a season-high 30 in a victory Saturday against Northeastern, had 11 at halftime. Forward Luka Brajkovic had eight points on 3-for-4 shooting. The Wildcats also got a boost off the bench from senior forward Nathan Ekwu, who made all three of his shots in the first half for six points.

▪ The 49ers found an inside game with sophomore forward Milos Supica, who had nine points in the first half on 3-of-4 shooting.

▪ Davidson honored former radio announcer John Kilgo at halftime. Kilgo, who retired before the season, called Davidson games for 18 seasons and also was the 49ers’ radio voice from 1975-84.

▪ Davidson freshman guard Mike Jones is out for the season with a knee injury. Jones tore an ACL in Davidson’s second game against Dartmouth.

▪ Davidson’s Chris Clunie and Charlotte’s Mike Hill, the schools’ first-year athletics directors, sat together for a spell in the second half behind the 49ers bench.

▪ Both teams head for the coast for their next game. Charlotte is at College of Charleston on Saturday; Davidson plays at UNC Wilmington on Saturday.

This story was originally published November 27, 2018 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Hot-shooting Davidson downs Charlotte 49ers for Hornets’ Nest Trophy."