CHARLOTTE — Given the way Davidson held its own against Vanderbilt last Wednesday in a four-point loss to a top 25 team, few could have imagined the lopsided loss the Wildcats were handed Saturday at rival Charlotte.
But by the time the 84-61 rout was over, the Hornets' Nest Trophy was back in the hands of the 49ers, and the Wildcats were returning to campus with plenty on their minds. There were exams to take this week and a list of tasks to attend to on the basketball court, including preparations to make for Monday's game against Kansas in Kansas City.
"We've got a lot of work to do," said Davidson coach Bob McKillop. "And I think a lot of our work is not so much technical as much as it is emotional."
Though it led 31-30 at the half — McKillop said he couldn't believe the Wildcats were ahead at that juncture — Davidson was outscored 54-30 in the second half as Charlotte shot 69.2 percent (18-of-26) from the floor. Two of Davidson's top scorers, De'Mon Brooks and Jake Cohen, combined for nine points and 10 fouls. Charlotte's Javarris Barnett, who was shooting 28 percent from three-point range, hit 5-of-6 threes, including four in a four-minute stretch of the second half. And 49er Pierria Henry hit two shots in the final 10 minutes that displayed it was just Charlotte's night. Near the eight-minute mark, he banked in a three-pointer from an odd angle in the left corner, and he followed that shot with a tough, high-arcing fadeaway jumper moments later.
"From the opening tap, they imposed their will," said McKillop. "They dictated the pace of the game. They clearly instigated, and we did not respond to that as well as we have in the past."
Charlotte (6-2) forced Davidson (6-3) into a season-high 19 turnovers, but also hurried Wildcat shooters into poor shots with its relentless defensive pressure. Davidson never found an offensive rhythm and finished the night shooting 35.6 percent.
"They're a good defensive team," said Davidson's JP Kuhlman, the Wildcats' leading scorer with 13. "I think a lot of times, we tried to hit home runs instead of making the easy play. The whole team did, everyone did. It led to a lot of turnovers and a lot of bad shots, and it turned into run-outs for them."
Charlotte's 13-2 run in the final moments helped the 49ers close the game with their largest lead. Chris Braswell scored a game-high 19 to lead the 49ers.
Davidson gives Vandy a run in second half
That Davidson did not make a run in the second half against Charlotte did not seem likely considering how the Wildcats rallied from an 18-point deficit to push Vanderbilt in the final moments of an 87-83 loss three days before.
"Without doubt, our guys dug deep," McKillop said Wednesday. "Our guys did not hang their heads. They kept fighting. And that's a sign of maturity, that's a sign of resiliency, that's a sign that this team is growing up."
But Vanderbilt (6-3), a team that returned all its starters from last year's NCAA Tournament team, was ultimately too much, behind the career-high scoring effort of Jeffery Taylor (30 points), the 22 points of John Jenkins and an unexpected boost off the bench from Festus Ezeli, a starter who has been sidelined for six weeks. Ezeli, who had missed time due to a suspension and an injury, chipped in with 15 points and six rebounds in 21 minutes.
"They have a combination of so many factors," said McKillop. "They're not just big and athletic. They have great I.Q. They are very, very well-coached and disciplined, and they're highly skilled."
Davidson struggled shooting the basketball from long range. The Wildcats, a 31.3 percent three-point shooting team entering the game, hit just one of their first 17 three-point attempts before converting 4-of-5 in the final 5:52 and finishing 5-of-22.
Brooks led Davidson with 24 points and nine rebounds. The two free throws he made with 2:13 remaining followed an offensive rebound of his own shot and cut Vanderbilt's lead to single digits for the first time since the 13:32 mark of the second half. He followed that with a three from the top of the key that energized the crowd with 1:49 left and forced a Vanderbilt timeout.
McKillop said Brooks was sensational.
Cohen (18 points), Kuhlman (13) and Chris Czerapowicz (10) also scored in double figures.
Vanderbilt beat Davidson 80-52 last January, starting a stretch in which the Wildcats lost seven of eight games.
