By Dylan Branscome
December 14, 2024 – The Davidson-Davie STORM picked up another Division I victory, 98-74, over the Wake Tech Eagles on Saturday afternoon in Brinkley Gym, improving to 11-1 in the regular season.
Davidson was lead by a pair of stellar performances from Jamaal Chrisp (21 points, 9 rebounds) and Ethan English (19 points, 6 assists), plus a staggering 59 points off of the bench.
The STORM was sensational from behind the arc, especially in the first half. They shot 7/12 (58.3%) from three in the first half, easily scoring 50 points opposed to the Eagles’ 32 at the end of the half.
“When the ball goes in, everything looks beautiful,” head coach Matt Ridge said when asked about the impressive three-point shooting. “My main concern is that we keep sharing the ball. The best shooting teams are the best passing teams.”
Davidson ended up having 21 assists on the night coming from seven of the eleven who played. They also ended the game shooting 10/22 (45.5%) from three, much improved from their season average of 31.7%. Six of the ten threes made came from Dane Stewart and Jaylen Wilkerson, while two came from Kobe Parker, with Chrisp knocking one down as well.
As if the three-point shooting wasn’t impressive enough, the shooting from inside the arc was also an impressive stat for the STORM. As a team, they shot 25/37 (68%) from mid-range or less. English shot an efficient 9/11 (81%) and Chrisp shot 8/11 (73%) to help keep Davidson’s offense strong.
The impressive shooting overshadowed the woes from the free throw line, an uncharacteristic 18/27 (66.7%), considerably lower than their season average of 73%. Even Aden Taylor, who’s usually lights out from behind the line, shooting above 90% for the season, shot 3/6 (50%). These struggles were not bad enough to prevent a win, but hopefully, they were a one-game phenomenon.
Ten of the eleven STORM players scored to help them grab the victory, and they also forced 20 turnovers and restricted the Wake Tech offense to shooting 40% on the night, a very impressive defensive outing for Davidson. This was a good bounce-back win after the heartbreaking road loss to Sandhills this past Wednesday.
The STORM return to action on the road against the Louisburg College Hurricanes on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6:00 P.M. EST in the Roger G. Taylor Athletic Center in Louisburg, N.C.