Men’s basketball (17-9, 6-7 Atlantic 10) tallied another away win in a 74-67 triumph over the Davidson Wildcats (15-10, 5-7 A-10) on Saturday afternoon.
Redshirt junior forward Rafael Castro powered the Revolutionaries’ win by sinking 20 points, shooting 6-7 from the field with six rebounds and three assists, alongside redshirt freshman guard Christian Jones, graduate student guard Gerald Drumgoole Jr. and sophomore guard Jacoi Hutchinson who each recorded double digits in scoring. This match-up marks the Revs’ third away win during conference play, placing them eighth in the A-10 as the Wildcats fall to 11th.
The Revs recorded 28 rebounds with seven offensive rebounds through the match, narrowly behind the Wildcats’ 29 rebounds, including eight offensive rebounds. The Revs won the turnover battle, with nine steals but 11 turnovers while the Wildcats with six steals but 14 turnovers.
The Revs started their lead straight out of the gate, using a 10-0 run at the five-minute mark to take a 15-6 lead after sophomore guard Trey Autry sank a layup.
With 11:42 on the clock in the first half, Drumgoole hit a 3-pointer, assisted by redshirt sophomore forward Darren Buchanan Jr, to push the Revs lead to 18-6. A foul by Drumgoole allowed the Wildcats’ sophomore guard Mike Loughnane to hit both free throws, bringing the score 18-8.
The biggest lead of the first half stretched to 29-13 with five minutes remaining in the game as graduate student forward Sean Hansen made a jumper. The Wildcats responded with an 8-0 run with two 3-pointers netted by the Wildcats’ fifth-year guard Zach Laput and sophomore forward Bobby Durkin to make the score 32-27 to end the first half.
Twenty seconds into the second half, Laput shot a jumper to cut the lead to three, as the score became 32-29. Both teams traded the ball in the next four possessions, with Hansen scoring five points with a jumper and an and-one for the Revs, bringing the score to 37-31. With 12 minutes left of the game, the Wildcats tied it up 41-41 with a 3-pointer by Burkin, assisted by Loughnane. But Jones bumped the Revs to a 43-41 lead with a layup.
Both teams traded baskets in the first seven minutes of the half as the Wildcats fought to take their first lead of the game. The Revs managed to hold the lead to five points with layups and free throws. In the 13th minute, Castro put up a dunk with an assist by Jones to put the score 50-47. Castro bagged two free throws with 5:44 minutes left to extend the lead, but a layup by Davidson freshman forward Manie Joses cut back to lead three, with the score 59-56.
In the 17th minute, Jones hit a 3-pointer to bring the score to 66-61, assisted by Drumgoole Jr. A foul on Buchanan Jr sent Laput to the line, making both free throws, 66-63 in the 17:38 minute.
With 1:20 minutes left, Castro knocked down both free throws to stretch the score to 68-63. In the last 30 seconds of the game, a layup by junior forward Reed Bailey shortened the lead to three with 70-67. Hutchinson then made two pairs of free throws to end the game with another win for the Revs with the score of 74-67.
The Revs will return home to play against Saint Joseph, who are in sixth place in the conference, on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
