Davidson basketball has won 11 straight games. What the Wildcats’ streak says about them

It was inevitable.

Davidson was piling up victories, in part because it is among the best shooting teams in Division 1 basketball.

Eventually, some opponent was going to try and take away the long-distance shot from the Wildcats’ arsenal – and see if Davidson could survive.

“That was our plan, to defend them on the (3-point) line,” Rhode Island head coach David Cox said Saturday, after his team led for most of the game but fell 72-68 at Davidson.

“We really guarded the line well, too,” Cox added. “But Davidson has so many weapons. They found people on the inside who hurt us.”

Davidson (12-2, 2-0 Atlantic 10) has won 11 straight games. The Wildcats are shooting 50% from the floor, ninth-best in Division 1. Their 42% 3-point shooting ranks No. 2 nationally.

The Rams (9-4, 0-1) took away the 3-point shot Saturday. Davidson made just 6 of 24 from beyond the arc.

“They were on us – on every catch, every cut, every screen,” Davidson coach Bob McKillop said.

It was physical, with players tumbling to the floor frequently. It wasn’t pretty at times. The Wildcats adjusted, and they showed another side of their offense. Luka Brajkovic, a 6-foot-10 forward, scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Centers Sam Mennenga and Nelson Boachie-Yiadom provided an outlet for the Davidson guards, when they ran into trouble.

“They just found a way to beat us,” Cox said.

Here are three things we learned about Davidson, which returns to action at 7 p.m. Tuesday, hosting UMass at Belk Arena:

Luka is an option

Guards Foster Loyer and Michael Jones and wing Hyunjung Lee have been the Wildcats’ key weapons in recent weeks, but with the outside shot gone, Brajkovic stepped up.

Perhaps his biggest play came with 1:34 left in the game, and Rhode Island leading 67-66. Lee missed in a 3-point shot, but Brajkovic streaked to the basket, grabbed the offensive rebound, and was fouled.

He made two free throws, and Davidson led for the first time since the first half, 68-67.

“He didn’t look at me,” Brajkovic said, referring to the Rhode Island defender under the basket. “So I thought it would be a great chance to get an offensive rebound.”

McKillop described Brajkovic’s two free throws as “really big ones.”

Brajkovic finished with 7-of-10 shooting from the floor, to go with his eight rebounds.

Make those free throws

While the 3-point shots weren’t falling, Davidson made up for it at the foul line. The Wildcats hit 18-of-23 free throws, piling up a six-point advantage over Rhode Island in that department.

McKillop, however, pointed to one of the Wildcats’ misses – by Lee, in the closing minutes.

“It was shocking – absolutely shocking – when a guy like Lee misses a free throw,” the Wildcats’ coach said. “Here’s a guy who shot 92% last year.”

That was an outlier, though. For the game, Lee hit 4 of 6 from the line.

Loyer, perhaps the Wildcats’ top 3-point threat, was just 2 of 7 from long range. But he connected on 11 of 12 free throws.

“Foster is like money out there,” McKillop said.

More work to do

McKillop said Saturday’s game is a template for what his team can expect through the rest of the A-10 season. He said teams will try to shut down the Davidson offense.

“Anyone who thinks the A-10 isn’t a tough league doesn’t understand basketball,” he said.

Loyer said Saturday’s game was a learning experience.

“The physicality broke the rhythm of the game,” he said. “I think we’ll continue to do a better job of staying in our game and adjusting to it.”

Brajkovic said he hopes Saturday’s victory sends a message to Davidson doubters.

“Some people say we’re not tough,” he said. “We want to prove them wrong.

“We’ve won 11 straight, but we have a lot more to prove.”