College Basketball: Davidson 97, Winthrop 70

Thursday, May 21, 2009 3:07 AM  |  Printer friendly version | E-mail to a friend |

Associated Press

DAVIDSON — Stephen Curry quickly pushed the ball at every opportunity. He whipped passes to open teammates for 3-pointers, and fed the post to his athletic big man, Andrew Lovedale.

All that didn't prevent him from showing off his trademark quick release and sweet shooting stroke, as he piled up 30 points and a career-high 13 assists in No. 21 Davidson's 97-70 rout of Winthrop on Friday.

"I guess he's really struggling at handling point guard, huh?" coach Bob McKillop said.

Three days after Curry scored a career-high 44 points in a loss at No. 12 Oklahoma, the nation's leading scorer made five 3-pointers and continued his seamless transition from shooting guard, committing only three turnovers.

"So far it's been working," Curry said. "It's clicking, our chemistry is growing every game. We know where we are on the court and where everybody likes the ball. It comes from practice and working really hard."

Curry and Lovedale combined to overwhelm Winthrop in the second half. Lovedale, an athletic big man from Nigeria who wasn't introduced to basketball until he was a teenager, had a career-high 20 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in helping the Wildcats (3-1) to their 18th straight win at home.

But on a team with Curry, those performances are often overshadowed by the baby-faced guard who has embraced his new role as playmaker — months removed from becoming a national darling after his NCAA tournament performance.

"How many easy passes did he make?" McKillop said. "How many singles did he hit? How many bunts did he make? Yet he took that drive to the basket. He pulled up and took that 3 in transition. ... That's a dimension that Steph adds to that position."

It meant a frustrating night for the Eagles (1-3).