NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. — Bubble teams can breathe a little easier.
No. 25 Davidson dispatched UNC Greensboro with ease Sunday night 82-52 to advance to the Southern Conference tournament final.
The Wildcats (25-6) smothered UNCG star Kyle Hines throughout the game and limited the Spartans’ all-time leading scorer to 10 points, nine in the second half. Davidson outscored UNCG 44-8 in the paint.
“I thought (Thomas) Sander did a tremendous job of putting a body on Kyle and keeping the ball from Kyle,” UNCG coach Mike Dement said. “That got us out of character a bit.
“They did everything thing they’re capable of doing.”
Davidson super sophomore Stephen Curry led all players with 26 points on a variety of 3-pointers, jumpers and even a putback, jack-knifing his body to the basket.
The Wildcats built a 10-point lead 12 minutes into the game and led 40-26 at halftime. They pushed the lead to 18 less than five minutes into the second half and maintained at least a 15-point lead through the rest of the game.
“We did a great job of focusing on (Hines),” Sander said. “Anytime you can hold him to 10 points, you can be pretty successful.”
n Elon 75,
College of Charleston 67
Elon (16-17) became the first team with a losing record to advance to the tournament final since seventh-seeded VMI did so in 1988. The Keydets lost to UT-Chattanooga.
The seventh-seeded Phoenix built a 39-34 halftime lead and maintained at least a four-point margin through the second half.
Senior guard Montell Watson led Elon with 15 points. Adam Constantine had eight points and 13 rebounds. Dustin Scott led College of Charleston with 22 points.
Elon lost to Davidson at home earlier this season by only two points.
“We continued to score … and 75 is a big number for us,” Elon coach Ernie Nestor said. “We were able to score just enough.”
David Uchiyama is a sports writer at the Chattanooga Times Free Press who began his tenure here in May 2001. His primary beats are UTC athletics — specifically men’s basketball and athletic department administration — and golf, which includes coverage from the PGA Tour to youth events. He also covers other high school sports, outdoor adventures, and contributes to other sections of the newspaper when necessary. David grew up in Salinas, Calif., and began working ...
