Davidson picks up impressive Atlantic 10 victory against Saint Louis

The Davidson Wildcats knew a physical game was in the offing Wednesday with the Saint Louis Billikens in town for an Atlantic 10 basketball contest.

“I think coach (Bob) McKillop probably said the word ‘hit’ at least 200 times in the last two days,” junior guard Kellan Grady said after the Wildcats’ 71-59 victory against the Billikens at Belk Arena. “I’m not being hyperbolic with our scouting report. Our plan was to stay as tight as we could and to hit them, hit them, hit them. The staple of their team is physicality. Coach challenged us again and again to match their physicality, and we did that.”

With what turned out to be their most complete game of the season, the Wildcats might have found the season-changing victory they’ve been looking for.

It was the third victory in four games for Davidson (9-9, 3-3 Atlantic 10), which has been struggling to find consistency this season. And it came against Saint Louis (14-5, 3-3), one of the country’s top rebounding teams and known for its physicality.

Saint Louis entered as the top rebounding team in the Atlantic 10, with two players (6-foot-7, 245-pound Hasahn French and 6-3 guard Jordan Goodwin) averaging 10-plus per game. The beefy Billikens held a size advantage over the Wildcats in most spots, and Goodwin and French (12 rebounds each) got theirs.

But the Wildcats didn’t back down. Davidson outrebounded Saint Louis 38-36 and blocked six Billikens shots. Davidson never trailed (the game was tied briefly midway through the second half). Senior guard Jon Axel Gudmudsson’s 20 points and eight rebounds led Davidson, with Grady adding 18 points and seven rebounds. The Billikens got 25 from guard Javonte Perkins.

“The other day, coach kind of bluntly told us we were not going to beat teams with athleticism,” Grady said. “There’s also a great chance we’re not going to be as talented in some instances. We’ll beat teams because we’re more skilled and we’re more detailed. If we can continue to execute our game plans as we did (Wednesday), and do the little things as we did, that’s what’s going to win us games like this.”

The Wildcats had 30 defensive rebounds. With the Billikens shooting just 33.9 percent, Davidson was able to limit most of Saint Louis’ possessions to just one shot. In fact, the Billikens’ first 12 points came on four 3-pointers. It wasn’t until Terrence Hargrove hit a short jumper with 7 minutes, 44 seconds left in the half that the Billikens made a regulation basket. Their first 12 points came on four 3-pointers.

The result was arguably Davidson’s best half of the season. With Gudmundsson (nine points, four rebounds) and Grady (eight points, five rebounds) leading the way, the Wildcats never trailed and took a 29-20 lead into halftime.

Davidson has lost two key players -- guards Luke Frampton and KiShawn Pritchett -- during a season that once held much promise. The Wildcats have instead been struggling to find consistency and an identity. They might have found that against Saint Louis.

“That’s their motto: be physical and outhustle the other team,” Gudmundsson said. “I think we did a great job trying to mess that up. I think that should be our identity. With KiShawn and Luke out, we’re losing a lot offensively. So we had to go out and match their physicality and get stops like today.”

And one

Redshirt freshman Mike Jones provided a spark for the Wildcats. Known primarily for his outside shooting prowess, Jones (who made his only 3-pointer), also had three rebounds and two blocks against Saint Louis.

Lane violation

Saint Louis entered ranking second-to-last nationally in free-throw percentage (57.4). The Billikens missed both their free throws in the first half and finished the game making 7 of 12 (58.3).

ICYMI

The Wildcats worked hard to establish 6-10, 250-pound forward Luka Brajkovic inside against Saint Louis’ bulkier big men. Brajkovic didn’t back down, using his post moves to create space. He had eight points on 4-of-8 shooting and eight rebounds. Brajkovic also had three of the Wildcats’ six blocks.

Making sense of the numbers

15: Free throws by Gudmundsson (out of 16 attempts).

8: Davidson players with at least rebound (every one who played).

42-6: Saint Louis’s bench points advantage.

This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 9:49 PM.