December 4, 2010

Charleston, S.C. - Sophomore center Mike Groselle netted a game-high 13 points to lead three Citadel players in double figures, but it was not enough to hold off Davidson, who left McAlister Field House with a 68-53 Southern Conference victory on Saturday afternoon. Groselle, one off a career-high in points, was joined in by the tandem of Zach Urbanus (12 points) and Austin Dahn (11 points). Jake Cohen pumped in a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds for the Wildcats, followed JP Kuhlman (13 pts.) and Clint Mann (10 pts.) who also notched double-digit performances.

The Bulldogs struggled offensively, hitting 19-of-58 field goal attempts (32.8%) which included a 6-for-14 (42.9%) outing from the 3-point line. The trio of Dahn (3-6), Urbanus (2-5) and Eykyn (1-2) accounted for all of the Bulldogs long range shots. Urbanus topped The Citadel in rebounds for the second time in the last four contests, finishing with seven rebounds. He was joined up front by Bryan Streeter and Morakinyo Williams who finished with six rebounds apiece, as the Dogs finished with a 40-35 edge on the boards. Point guard Cameron Wells was limited to two points and six rebounds in 19 minutes of action after fouling out of his second SoCon game and first since Jan. 8, 2009 (vs. Georgia Southern). The loss moves the Cadets to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play.

"I am very proud of Mike (Groselle) because he's been working extremely hard this season," said head coach Chuck Driesell. "He has been wanting the opportunity to get on the court and when he got it he took advantage of it. Mike's a solid post player that is good with his back to the basket, his footwork, his ability to hit free throws and most importantly he is good with angles. When he has an angle on somebody he knows how to get to the basket and use his right and left hand. That's all it really is for a good post perspective and he's done a nice job in those areas." 

Cohen became just the third opposing player this season to finish with a double-double against the Bulldogs, due in large part to hitting 9-of-10 free throw attempts. He crashed the defensive glass for 10 of his 12 rebounds and converted 5-of-8 field goal attempts. Kuhlman also enjoyed a successful outing, hitting 5-of-9 field goals, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Seven Wildcats had multiple field goals to capitalize on a 23-for-50 (46.0%) afternoon from the floor. The 'Cats grabbed eight offensive rebounds led by three from Clint Mann. Davidson improved to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in SoCon play following the weekend split in Charleston.

Five points from Mann highlighted an 11-5 run over the first 6:14 of the second half to stretch the Wildcats lead to 43-31. Without the scoring threat of Wells, Urbanus kept the Bulldogs within striking distance by scoring five of the team's next seven points and trimmed the deficit to 46-38 with 9:12 remaining.

It was there that Groselle outmuscled De'Mon Brooks in the post to score an old fashioned three-point play and cut the lead to single digits, 48-41. Davidson responded with an 11-5 run highlighted by five points from Cohen and pushed the lead to 59-46 with 5:34 remaining. The Wildcats maintained their double-figure lead for the remainder of the contest, using their swarming defense to hold the Bulldogs offense to a jumper by Groselle and 3-pointer from Dahn. It gives Davidson their sixth straight win at McAlister Field House dating back to the 2004 season.

Behind a pair of 3-pointers in the first half, Dahn led seven Citadel players with six points. Joined by Urbanus (five points) and four points each by Clark and Streeter the Bulldogs finished 10-of-27 from the field goal range, including 4-of-8 (50%) from 3-point range. Wells was the catalyst to the Cadet offense as he dished out six assists. The combination of Urbanus, Streeter and Clark shared the game-high four rebounds. Davidson statistical leaders included three rebounds each for Cohen and Brooks, while Kuhlman netted a team-high seven points. The Wildcats were successful on 12-of-26 field goal attempts (46.2%) and 4-of-11 (36.4%) from beyond the arc.

The Citadel rebounded from a fast start by the Wildcat offense that went on an 11-4 run over the first 3:47 of play. Beginning with a pair of Clark layups, sandwiched by a Brendan McKillop 3-pointer, the Cadets knocked down three consecutive long range shots, including a pair by Dahn, to regain the lead 20-16 at the 11:48 mark.

The teams traded shots over the next 6:50 of the first half before jumpers by Jordan Downing and 3-pointer by Kuhlman gave Davidson a 30-26 halftime advantage.

The Bulldogs return to action Monday night when they welcome St.Mary's College (Md.) to McAlister Field House. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.

For more information on Bulldog Basketball, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.