ELON, N.C. – Stephen Curry knocked down 15 points – including the game’s final eight markers – to lift Davidson to a 59-57 come-from-behind Southern Conference men’s basketball triumph over Elon Wednesday night in front of a sellout crowd at Alumni Gym.
In a contest that featured 14 lead changes and four ties, the Phoenix (6-9 overall, 4-3 SoCon) built a 26-19 edge on a layup by Ola Atoyebi with three minutes to go in the opening period before holding on to secure a 28-24 halftime advantage.
Elon extended its edge to 46-40 on a jumper by Brian Waters with 12:34 left to play, but the Wildcats (7-6, 5-0) reeled off eight consecutive points to claim a 48-46 edge on a pair of free throws by Jason Richards with 9:11 remaining – Davidson’s first lead since being up 14-13 with 12:26 to play in the first stanza.
The Phoenix responded with an 11-3 surge to fashion a 57-51 advantage on a pair of charity shots by Montell Watson with 2:41 to go. Curry canned treys at the 2:31 and 1:38 marks to even the score before sinking an off-balance game-winning runner with 1:06 left.
The Wildcats, who entered the contest ranked 24th in the Mid-Major Poll, received a double-double performance by Thomas Sanders. He connected on five of his seven attempts from the field on his way to posting 12 points and 13 boards.
Richards, who averaged a nation-leading 8.9 assists per game entering the evening, dished out 10 assists to go with his four steals. Curry, who averaged a league-leading 24.1 points per outing going into the game, was limited to 4-for-15 shooting from the floor.
Watson led Elon with 15 points while Brett James equaled a season high with 14 markers for the Phoenix. Atoyebi, who had scored 11 or more points in each of his previous eight performances, was held to eight markers.
Elon’s Chris Long dished out a career-high six assists while the Phoenix swiped a season-high 12 steals and forced 19 Davidson turnovers – Elon’s second-highest total of the season – while committing 17 turnovers.
The Wildcats won the battle of the boards by a 38-29 margin, but was restricted to their lowest scoring output of the season. Their 24 first-half points also marked their lowest total in a half this season, falling just below their previous low of 26 in a period at North Carolina State last month.
Davidson outscored Elon 32-22 in the paint and 20-9 off second chances. The Phoenix edged the Wildcats 20-17 in points off turnovers and 12-8 in bench scoring.
Elon returns to action when it visits Furman at 4 p.m. Saturday while Davidson visits Wofford at 7 p.m. Saturday.
–ELON–