Wildcats Pride

Although there was not much for Canucks to cheer about on the hardwood in 2008, The Canadian Press is happy with a couple of Davidson Wildcats.

The paper believes Will Archambault’s and Max Paulhus Gosselin’s contributions as Davidson ran through the Elite Eight during the NCAA tournament were the highlights of Canadian basketball in 2008.

The paper notes that after the tournament, the players “returned to a hero’s welcome in Davidson. A sign in front of the town library read: ‘Be Proud,’ while the window on the Main Street bank had the message ‘Thanks Cats.’”

Apparently, that same pride for the two Quebecers has spread beyond Main Street to throughout Canada.

The Davidson College Wildcats forgot to set their alarms for the Wooden Tradition vs. Purdue on Saturday.

The team started the game 0 for 10 from the field and found themselves in a 21-0 deficit early in the first half, a margin they could not recover from.

For the Boildermakers, it was the opposite of their start against Duke earlier this month, in which Purdue fell behind 7-0 and never challenged the Blue Devils in a 76-60 loss.

“I thought this was a great team victory for us,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “Our guys did a very good job defensively, not just the three guys that guarded Stephen Curry. I thought everybody was ready to play.”

Will Archambault scored 13 points and Andrew Lovedale scored 10 for Davidson (8-2).

Painter said he could tell his players were prepared for Davidson. 

“You can see when guys are hooked up,” he said. 

Purdue ran out to a quick 7-0 lead, and Curry missed his first three shots before the Wildcats called an early timeout. Purdue kept the pressure on, and a 3-pointer by Grant increased the lead to 12-0. Back-to-back baskets by Johnson made it 21-0 with 13:05 left in the first half. 

Davidson finally scored on a putback by Lovedale. 

Wildcats star Stephen Curry missed his first eight shots, but his ninth was a 3-pointer, part of a 13-2 run that trimmed Purdue’s lead to 27-15. 

Purdue fired right back with 3-pointers by Moore and Grant. An alley-oop dunk by Johnson on a pass from Moore made it 41-19. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Marcus Green late in the first half increased Purdue’s lead to 47-24 at the break. 

“We had a run to start the game, then they made their run,” Hummel said. “When that happens, you’ve just got to be ready to punch them back in the mouth. That’s how we responded.” 

Curry shot 3-for-18 from the field in the first half, went 1-for-9 from 3-point range and had three turnovers. Purdue shot 57 percent in the first half, while Davidson shot 25 percent. The Boilermakers made 7-of-11 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes. 

Purdue hit three quick 3-pointers at the start of the second half to increase its lead to 58-29. Another alley-oop dunk by Johnson, this one on an inbounds pass from Grant, made it 66-44 with just under 11 minutes left. The Boilermakers led by at least 15 points the rest of the way. 

Curry never got on track. 

“Curry missed a couple shots early,” Painter said. “I thought the first two or three times, the first looks were very good looks, then after that, I thought our guys did a great job.”

Game Photos:

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9 games into the season, both Will Archambault and Bryant Barr are averaging around 9 points per game.

Both have the ability to break open games from the outside, when they get hot.

But… When the dust settles at the end of the season, who will have scored more points?

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Davidson College players Max Paulhus Gosselin and Will Archambault talk about what it is like playing for the Wilcats and what it would mean to them to continue to represent Canada on a national stage.

Paulhus Gosselin is a senior this year, however, Will Archambault will be with Davidson for another year after the 08/09 season.