Davidson holds off 49ers, retains Hornets’ Nest trophy 

DAVIDSON ATHLETICS

Davidson's Wildcats pose with the Hornets Nest Trophy after beating the Charlotte 49ers 62-55 on Nov. 11.

The Hornets’ Nest trophy is getting comfortable in Davidson. 

The Davidson Wildcats (3-0) made the trip to Halton Arena and retained the rivalry's trophy for the third straight season with a 62-55 win. The Wildcats led by 10 at halftime and had their largest lead of 18 points. But, this rivalry, like many great ones, always delivers. 

The Wildcats went up 56-46 with 1:56 to go. Charlotte went on a 9-1 run over the next 1:26, cutting the lead to just two. The shot clock was in step with the play clock and everyone inside Halton Arena thought the 49ers would have to foul to extend the game. 

Not Wildcats guard Hunter Adam. 

Davidson broke the 49ers’ press and with 20 seconds and Adam shot a three-pointer. Davidson coach Matt McKillop put his hands on his head in disbelief but it went in for the best worst decision of the game. 

“I joked that we made a lot of really foolish decisions,” McKillop said. “Maybe the most foolish decision that was made was the one that ended up winning the game for us. But Hunter is lights out right now. I’m not going to tell him not to shoot a shot except for tomorrow when I tell him he isn’t allowed to shoot [under 30 seconds with the shot clock off].”

For McKillop, winning three straight against Charlotte means a lot.

“I've been around this rivalry for a very long time,” he said. “Back when we used to play Charlotte twice a year, one game at Independence arena. And then I was around when there was the disagreement, and we did play for two years, around the time when Steph Curry was here and I was here as a player, I lost two games when I was a player, and I've been fortunate to win three out of four as a head coach. … It was pretty easy for us to speak to the importance of this game to our team.”

For Charlotte (2-1) it was the first loss of the season, and coach Aaron Fearne gave Davidson credit for making things difficult in the first half, resulting in the 49ers being too far behind to overcome.

“Credit to them,” Fearne said. “I thought they really caused some disruption early on defensively, and they had shot the ball unbelievably well, and the games they played were no different tonight, which really put our backs up against the wall.”

Fearne was happy with the fight his team displayed late in the game.

“The teams that I coach when it comes to their competitive spirit, I never, ever want to question that,” Fearne said, “regardless of what the score is or what the situation is during games or what the result is towards the end of games. I think it's a behavior that establishes you as a team that can continue to improve. So, the fight that the guys showed tonight was inspirational. I thought it was fantastic. You know, we were in a big hole, and we just slowly picked away.”

Fearne is figuring how to get Charlotte to start and finish fast.

“At this level, the guys that were kind of your dudes are now gone,” he said, “and you bring in other guys, they’re going to be your dudes. During that process, it’s like, ‘Well, no, I’m a dude. No, I was a dude there, my role is different here.’ It’s very challenging for the players. … You just have to work through it. There’s no secret sauce to this. There’s some things we haven’t done well. … The big thing for me is how we show up for practice on Thursday. What’s it going to be like there? You show me it hurts in that locker room right now. Great. It better hurt on Thursday when we walk into practice, then Friday and Saturday, and then when we go to play on Sunday.”

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