Feb 1, 2003

Box Score

CULLOWHEE, N.C.) - Davidson freshman Matt McKillop hit a 3-pointer with 4:30 left in the game and got a key steal inside the final minute to spur his Wildcats to a 67-57 victory over Western Carolina Saturday night in Southern Conference basketball action in the Ramsey Activity Center.

McKillop?s 3-pointer gave Davidson (12-6, 6-2 SoCon) a 57-55 lead, one it would not relinquish. Wayne Bernard put the Wildcats up four two minutes later, only to have Western Carolina (6-13, 3-5 SoCon) immediately answer on a David Berghoefer layup, making the score 59-57 with 2:30 left. That was as close as the Catamounts would get. Connor Grace added a jumper to put Davidson back up by four with 2:09 left and the Wildcats would hit six of eight free throws inside the final 41 seconds to seal the win.

The close score would not have been believed when looking at the statistics. Davidson took a 32-27 lead at halftime. However, the Wildcats shot 52 percent from the field, while Western only connected on 25 percent shooting from the field. Davidson also held a 24-11 rebound advantage through the first 20 minutes. The Catamounts were able to keep it close by forcing 14 turnovers, while committing only seven, and hitting 9-of-10 free throws, compared to just 2-of-3 by Davidson at the line.

In the second half, the roles were reversed with Western shooting 40.6 percent, while holding Davidson to just 28.6. And, Davidson forced 13 turnovers, while committing just seven. As the Catamounts were able to keep close in the first half, it was Davidson?s success at the line which proved to be the difference. Davidson hit 15-of-21 free throws (.714), while Western was just 1-of-6 at the charity stripe.

The Catamounts jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, thanks to a jumper by Rans Brempong and a 3-pointer by Kevin Martin, and led by as many as six (13-7) with 13:27 left. The Wildcats began to take control on the boards and raced out to a 13-point lead (29-16) with 5:46 left before the break. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Alex Osipovitch and four free throws combined by Brempong and Emre Atsur cut the Catamounts? deficit to three (29-26) with 1:22 left. Twenty seconds later, Brendan Winters drained a 3-pointer to give Davidson some breathing room. Martin hit one of two free throws with five seconds left to make the score 32-27 at the break. The missed free throw by Martin ended a streak of 27 consecutive makes at the charity stripe.

The second half saw four ties and five lead changes. Davidson led by seven with 12:28 left on a McKillop free throw. Then Brempong got an offensive rebound and a putback to make the score 42-27 in Davidson?s favor. From that point on, no team would lead by more than four points until the Wildcats? success at the free throw line inside the final 41 seconds. Western managed to tie it twice before Kori Hatcher hit a 3-pointer with 6:44 to give the Cats? their first lead (52-49) since the first half. The Catamounts would take another lead, 55-54, on a Brempong free throw, before McKillop?s 3-pointer set the stage for Davidson?s final run.

Martin led all scorers with 20 points, while Brempong added 11 points and eight rebounds. Corey Muirhead led Western with nine rebounds off the bench. Davidson had three players score in double figures, including Winters (15), Bernard (12) and Jouni Eho (11). Grace just missed a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing a game-high 15 rebounds.

Western Carolina will return to action on Monday (Feb. 3) as it travels to Boone to face Appalachian State. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm.