DAVIDSON, N.C. – Davidson connected on nine three-pointers in a second-half rally good enough to beat and stun College of Charleston, 75-64, and end a four-game losing skid in Southern Conference play on Saturday afternoon before a crowd of 4,295 fans at Belk Arena.
Nik Cochran scored 21 points off the bench to lead the struggling Wildcats (9-12, 3-7) to their first league win since a 79-70 victory over Furman on Jan. 12. Cochran was one of five players to end the game in double figures after a turnover-prone first half in which Davidson managed only a season-low 24 points offensively on 26.7 percent shooting from the floor (8-of-30).
The Cougars (15-7, 8-2) had similar difficulties holding on to the ball with 15 for the game in which the Wildcats converted eight of their 51 second-half points off of CofC miscues.
Senior All-America candidate Andrew Goudelock (Stone Mountain, Ga.), the nation's fifth-leading scorer, knocked down a three and senior Donavan Monroe (Waxhaw, N.C.) made a layup to open the second half on a 5-0 run. The Cougars would lead by 14 with 18:25 remaining on the clock, but a 15-4 run, capped by a three-pointer by Davidson's Jake Cohen, cut the deficit to 42-39 with 14:31 to go in regulation.
Two key free throws from Cohen with 8:52 left gave Davidson its first lead, 49-48, as the Cougars struggled to find an answer to stop the hot-shooting Wildcats who went 9-of-14 (64.3 percent) from beyond the arc.
CofC tied it at 55 on a jumper by Goudelock with 5:07 left to play, but an 18-5 run gave Davidson a comfortable 73-60 advantage with 35 seconds on the clock.
Goudelock ended the night with a game-high tying 21 points, while senior Jeremy Simmons (Lithonia, Ga.) and freshman Trent Wiedeman (Suwanee, Ga.) added 11 each.
The Cougars return home to host defending league champion Wofford in a battle of South Division rivals on Thursday, Feb. 3, at Carolina First Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (ET) and the White Out game will be televised live nationally on ESPNU.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-843-953-COFC (2632) or visiting the CofC Athletics Ticket Center online at www.CofCSports.com/tickets.
POSTGAME NOTES
• For the 20th time this season, CofC used the starting lineup of senior Donavan Monroe, senior Andrew Goudelock, junior Antwaine Wiggins, sophomore Willis Hall and senior Jeremy Simmons (13-7).
• In the loss, the Cougars split the regular-season series with Davidson for the third consecutive season. CofC is now 1-4 when playing the Wildcats on the road in the Bobby Cremins Era.
• Andrew Goudelock scored a game-high tying 21 points which marked the 39th 20-point game of his career. He has registered 20-or-more points in five of the last six outings for the Cougars. Goudelock, who is the school's all-time leading scorer, has now recorded 2,210 career points to date which ranks second-best among active Division I career scoring leaders in the country.
• Jeremy Simmons tied a season-high with four of the team's six blocked shots against the Wildcats. He also added 11 points and five rebounds.
• CofC shot 46.3 percent from the floor to Davidson's 37.7 percent. It marked the first time on 14 occasions this season in which the Cougars outshot their opponents, but lost the ballgame (13-1).
• The Cougars made 15 turnovers in the ballgame which Davidson converted into 12 points including eight in the second half of play.
• Sophomore Andrew Lawrence came off the bench and turned in his fifth career double-figure scoring game with 10 points and three steals.
• Freshman big man Trent Wiedeman knocked down his second career three-pointer to get the Cougars within three of Davidson with under seven minutes to go in the contest. CofC went 4-of-15 from three-point range (26.7) against the Wildcats which was its third-worst shooting percentage this season.
POSTGAME QUOTES
College of Charleston Head Coach Bobby Cremins
On the game …
“We made the first three (by Goudelock in the second half) and I thought we would be off running and then we just fell apart. I can't believe all of the turnovers we had. We played real sloppy basketball. I knew Davidson would keep playing hard and they got really hot. They made some great shots down the stretch. I give them a lot of credit. They really played well. It was a great atmosphere. I'm surprised they have lost games at home, because if they play like the way they did in the second half, they should win most of the time here. I talked about balance coming back to our conference and it is certainly coming back now.”
On what's next for the team …
“We play Wofford on Thursday. We are now tied with them for first place (in the South Division). We need a great crowd to come out and support us. There will be two first-place teams playing and the winner will be in first place after Thursday night. Then we have Furman on Saturday. We just have to get ready for those two games now.”
