SPORTS
Wildcats Defeat Washington & Lee in Final Preseason Game
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson Wildcats cruised by Washington & Lee 116-56 in their final preseason tune-up Thursday night in Belk Arena, but Wildcats’ coach Bob McKillop said the Generals, who play at the Division III level, provided a much-needed exhibition test.
“The pace that they played at, their interchangeable parts, the free flowing aggressive offensive attack put us in positions that we were not very comfortable in,” said McKillop. “And they caught us in several issues of communication. We need Nathan (Ekwu), KiShawn (Pritchett) and Jon (Axel Gudmundsson), as the captains of this team, to really spearhead the communication that a game like this mandates we have.”
Five Wildcats scored in double figures, led by junior guard Gudmundsson, who scored 22, and sophomore guard Kellan Grady, who had 20. Both guards, who garnered preseason honors from the Atlantic 10, had six assists.
“Kellan looks like a man out there now, going to the basket, just taking a hit,” said McKillop. “Jon, the same way. They’re both very strong, ferocious guards. I think they showed that tonight.”
The Wildcats shot 61.8 percent from the floor and 61.5 percent from beyond the arc on 16-of-26 shots. Redshirt freshman Luke Frampton hit five of his eight 3-point attempts to score 18 points, while freshman David Czerapowicz shot 4-of-5 from long range for 12 points.
Freshman forward Luka Brajkovic added 16 points and led with eight rebounds. He started along with four guards – Grady, Gudmundsson, Frampton and Pritchett – and McKillop likes his potential in the post. He said the Wildcats just need to do a better job feeding him.
“You see we have the potential to have a very efficient post offense,” said McKillop. “Luka … I think he’s sensational. He catches absolutely everything.”
Davidson led 49-21 in rebounding, had 25 assists to 12 turnovers and crafted significant scoring runs in both halves. The Wildcats scored the game’s first 11 points, then had a 36-4 run – with 17 unanswered points – en route to a 57-26 halftime lead. Early in the second, the Wildcats scored 16 straight points.
“I thought we got better as the night progressed,” said McKillop.
Up Next
Next time the Wildcats step on the court, it will count. They open the season Tuesday, Nov. 6 against Cleveland State. Tip-off in Belk Arena is set for 7 p.m.