Davidson's bench reacts to a three-pointer hit by Hunter Adam, far right, with 20 seconds left in the game against Charlotte Tuesday. Adam’s shot clinched the win for Davidson, as the Wildcats won, 62-55. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
There are shots in basketball you simply do not take, and Davidson won a basketball game by making one of them Tuesday night.
In their traditional Hornets’ Nest rivalry game against crosstown rival Charlotte, Davidson had led almost the entire way but had seen an 18-point lead cut down to two points. Now, with 20 seconds to go and the shot clock off, Davidson was clinging to a 57-55 lead and had the ball safely past half court, ready to bleed some time. With Davidson in the double bonus at the free-throw line, the 49ers were going to have to foul to have a chance — or were they?
Inexplicably, with those 20 seconds still on the clock, Davidson guard Hunter Adam rose for a 3-pointer that would likely give the ball back to Charlotte if he missed.
Charlotte head coach Aaron Fearne couldn’t believe his luck. Here was a chance to get another possession, down by only two, if the 49ers could just corral the rebound.
Davidson coach Matt McKillop put his hands on his head in disbelief, shocked that Adam wouldn’t wait for a foul and run the clock down.
“We had a crazy shot taken,” McKillop said later.
And Adam, the New Zealander just now coming into his own during his third year at Davidson?
He simply watched the ball swish through the net.
Said Adam afterward of what he was thinking when he launched the ball: “I wasn’t thinking much at all. My coaches teach me to shoot the ball whenever I’m open, so I did. I know it probably gave them a heart attack this time, but I’d shoot the same shot again, 100 times over. Once it left my hands, I knew it was good.”
The shot clinched Davidson’s 62-55 win on Charlotte’s homecourt in front of a crowd of 3,712 at Halton Arena. Davidson improved to 3-0 in this young season, while Charlotte fell to 2-1.
Davidson head coach Matt McKillop watches his team with hands on knees during the game against Charlotte Tuesday. McKillop’s team won, 62-55. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
“I joke that we made a lot of really, really foolish decisions throughout the game,” McKillop said. “Maybe the most foolish decision that was made was the one that ended up winning the game for us.”
“You’ve got to have some kahunas to go make those shots,” Fearne said. “And look, he did.”
It’s not like Adam can’t hit 3s. In contrast, as a little-used reserve last season, he made 40% of his treys. Entering this year, he’s been very hot from deep — 8-for-13 in Davidson’s first two games. He was 3-for-5 from 3-point range before his final trey Tuesday night against Charlotte. Now, for the season, he’s 12-for-19 (63.2%).
Still, McKillop isn’t going to want Adam to shoot that shot “100 times over,” as the player said.
“Hunter is so lights out right now,” McKillop said, “that I’m not going to tell him not to tell him not to shoot a shot. Except for tomorrow, when I’ll tell him he’s not allowed to do that again.”
Adam led all scorers in a game that was sluggish and defensive-oriented for much of the contest, only to turn delightful in the final few minutes when Charlotte made its run.
Charlotte head coach Aaron Fearne watches his team from the sideline during the game against Davidson Tuesday. Fearne’s team cut an 18-point deficit to two, but ultimately lost, 62-55. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Charlotte began the game terribly on offense, going 2-for-14 with five turnovers. The 49ers trailed 29-19 at halftime. But they got back into the game after switching to a zone defense. A balanced scoring attack led by guard Damoni Harrison and 7-foot-2 big man Anton Bonke (13 points each) helped as well. Davidson was aided by 14 points each from Nick Coval and Parker Friedrichsen.
Fearne said the Davidson-Charlotte games are always “interesting and wild,” and indeed the previous three had all been decided by four points or less. This one likely would have been, too, had Adam not taken his “oh-no-no-yes” 3-pointer at the end.
“It’s a shot I’ve practiced countless times,” Adam said. “This one just mattered a little more than the others, I guess.”
Davidson guard Hunter Adam shoots from the field Tuesday. Adam is hitting 63% of his three-point shots so far this season for 3-0 Davidson. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Fearne said his peripheral vision had caught McKillop putting his hands on his head as the shot went up, and McKillop admitted to that afterward.
“But not only was I doing that,” McKillop said, “all the Charlotte fans were doing the exact same thing. So I don’t think there was anybody that was like, ‘That’s a normal thing to do right now.’ But, thankfully, it went in.”