By Dylan Branscome
The Davidson-Davie STORM secured a commanding Region 10 win, 108-76, over the Southwest Virginia Flying Eagles at Brinkley Gym on Saturday, Jan. 25. They improve to 18-1 on the season and 10-0 in the conference.
Davidson was backed behind six players scoring in double digits. Lamonte Cousar (23 points), Jamaal Chrisp (18 points), Aden Taylor (15 points, 7 steals), Ethan English (13 points, 11 assists, 4 steals), Jaylen Wilkerson (10 points), and Will Gray (10 points) all were huge components of the STORM win.
Davidson’s offense was impressive for the entire game. Scoring 55 points in the first half and then adding 53 more in the second was too much offensive firepower for the Flying Eagles to handle. Lights-out shooting was the reason for these high point totals. The STORM shot 53.8% from the field and 38% from three, which helped hide their 58.3% free throw percentage.
Bench points were once again a huge factor for Davidson’s scoring as well, outscoring Southwest Virginia’s bench points 45-9, an outstanding showing to showcase the STORM’s depth.
“We feel like we’ve got at least two groups of five that can start at most junior colleges in the Region 10 and around the country,” head coach Matt Ridge said in a post-game interview. “We feel like that is definitely one of our strengths, and it goes back to the backbone of our program… which is having a lot of depth every year and these guys buying into playing hard and together.”
While Davidson’s offense was obviously a highlight and one of the major reasons they were able to grab a win, their defense was also marvelous. They were able to force 27 turnovers and then get 30 points off of those turnovers.
Forcing 11 turnovers on their own was Taylor and English, while also having two blocks each. Both guards have been fantastic on defense all season long, and this game was another example they can add to their long list of excellent defensive performances.
Along with forcing turnovers, the STORM was able to make the Flying Eagles take some bad shots and have their percentages show it. Southwest Virginia shot 44% from the field and 17% from three. This also included them not making a single three out of ten attempts in the second half.
“We were better defensively and getting stops,” Ridge said. “They can really score. They had 41 at halftime, so we held them to 30. Better job on the ball defensively and cutting off penetration. I was really proud of how we defended in the second half.”
The STORM return to action on the road against another Region 10 opponent, the Fayetteville Tech Trojans, on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at 7:00 PM EST.