Davidson rolling at the right time, pounds St. Bonaventure
The Davidson Wildcats are coming around at the time when it matters the most.
The Wildcats blitzed St. Bonaventure 64-46 Wednesday at Belk Arena, putting together another dominating effort as their Atlantic 10 regular season winds down. Davidson (22-8, 13-4) had already clinched a double-bye (and a spot in the quarterfinals of next week’s conference tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y.) and they can finish second in the league with a victory Saturday at Richmond.
Coming off a 25-point victory Saturday against Fordham, Davidson put the screws to the Bonnies (15-15, 11-6), one of the league’s hottest teams entering the game. The Wildcats held St. Bonaventure to 32.7 percent shooting and outrebounded the Bonnies 36-28.
But the biggest story for Davidson was the play of sophomore guard Kellan Grady, who scored 23 points, brought down five rebounds and handed out two assists. Grady, a preseason all-conference selection, appears to have broken out of an uneven stretch, when he was alternating strong games with performances that were, for him, subpar.
Three who mattered
Grady, Davidson: Also hit a 3-pointer as the halftime buzzer sounded, giving the Wildcats a 13-point lead. Grady’s shot came off a play the team practiced earlier this week. Grady made 5 of 9 3-pointers for the game.
Jon Axel Gudmundsson, Davidson: Played what’s become a typical game for the Wildcats’ junior guard, scoring 17 points, grabbing nine rebounds and handing out two assists.
Dominick Welch, Saint Bonaventure: Only Bonnies player in double figures, scoring 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
Worth mentioning
▪ The Wildcats honored senior Nathan Ekwu and redshirt junior Dusan Kovacevic before the game. It’s been a difficult few seasons for Ekwu, who hasn’t been able to shake a nagging knee injury. He sat out last season and has played just 12 games this season. Kovacevic decided not to use his fourth year of eligibility and will graduate this spring.
▪ Gudmundsson managed to get a layup to fall in the first half despite slipping and falling as he put the shot up.
▪ The loss snapped a six-game road winning streak by the Bonnies.
▪ Bonnies freshman guard Kyle Lofton was thrown out of the game late in the second half when he was whistled for two unsportsmanlike technicals.
▪ Davidson’s Luka Brajkovic played only two minutes in the first half after picking up two quick fouls. Brajkovic struggled the rest of the way, scoring three points, but grabbing five rebounds.
They said it
“They were getting up in him like they had a crush on him.” — Grady, on how the Bonnies defended Davidson guard Luke Frampton, who made 3 of his 5 3-point attempts.
“We got down, got up and went right back into the center of the ring.” — Davidson coach Bob McKillop, on how the Wildcats bounced back after a Bonnies rally in the second half.