The Davidson-Davie STORM pulled off a tight, physical 89-83 victory to open the season against the Division I JUCO Gaston College Rhinos at Brinkley on Saturday. Behind Lamonte Cousar (21 points, 7 rebounds) and Aden Taylor (17 points, 11/12 FT), Davidson-Davie played well to grab their first win of the season.
The first Gaston College possession ended perfectly for Davidson-Davie, being able to make them turn the ball over already, their first of 21 turnovers in the game. However, the Rhinos came out strong against the STORM, going up 4-12 early. The STORM responded quickly though, behind full-court pressure and a three-pointer from Will Gray, Davidson-Davie went on a 12-4 run of their own to tie the game 16-16 with 12 minutes to go in the first half.
An obstacle for both teams in this game was foul trouble, as it usually is for teams at the beginning of the season. The Rhinos struggled with this for the first ten minutes of the half, getting Davidson-Davie into bonus early. The STORM took advantage of this, as they shot 13/15 (86.7%) from the line in the first half. Behind these free throws and forcing turnovers, Davidson-Davie was able to go on a 24-5 run since being down 4-12 earlier in the half. Every time Gaston would try and close the gap, Dane Stewart would hit a much-needed three to extend the lead. Both teams went back and forth until the end of the half with the score being 45-40.
The second half started sloppy for both teams, with more fouls being called and turnovers. Davidson-Davie did kick off the half on a 9-1 run, however, to extend their lead 54-41. Cousar started to truly take over this half, being tough inside while also making some mid-range jump shots to punish the Rhinos’ defense. Although Gaston College did not shoot well in the first half from behind the arch (27.3%), they improved drastically in the second half, and it started when they made three in a row to cut the STORM lead to three. Cousar made a much-needed three, the only one for Davidson-Davie in the second half, to go back up by eight with seven minutes to go.
Davidson-Davie couldn’t rely on free throws as much in the second half, dropping from an 87% FTP in the first half to a 63% FTP, so Gaston always stayed within striking distance even if they were fouling on most of their defensive possessions. This led to a two-point game with two minutes to go. Stewart had a clutch layup to go up four, but the impressive second-half shooting from Gaston continued with a three to make this a one-possession game once again. Great defense by Javier Ortiz led to a layup by Cousar to go up by three, and the STORM caused another turnover with 15 seconds to go. Stewart then got a breakaway dunk off of an inbound play that had Brinkley Gym rocking with 8 seconds to go up 87-81, which was the dagger for Davidson-Davie to come away with the win.
Coach Ridge stated before the game that the keys to beating the Rhinos were to “limit turnovers, win the rebounding war, and to finish shots around the basket.” While they did have 15 turnovers as a team, they only allowed 13 points off of them, which shows their defensive strengths. The STORM did not win the rebound war, falling three short 41-44. They also allowed 14 offensive rebounds, which Ridge discussed in a halftime interview. Davidson-Davie also did a decent job finishing around the rim. They had 38 points in the paint and shot 50% from the field (not including three-pointers). Even if Davidson-Davie didn’t reach all of their goals, they still managed to get the win behind aggressive defense and being able to draw fouls. The STORM return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 6 at Brinkley Gym against the Richard Bland College Statesmen at 7 p.m. EST.