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For the first 13 minutes of Davidson's game against Pittsburgh, it was the Wildcats team that everyone expected to see against North Carolina a couple of weeks ago. It looked as if Davidson would score their first big win of the season.
Then the lid came off the basket for the Panthers, and it grew to a mile wide.
Pitt went on a ridiculous run where they made 16 of their next 20 shots, and went from four points down to 24 points in front. The Panthers cruised to a 94-69 win, denying the Wildcats, and dropping Davidson to 7-2.
There was little that Davidson could do to slow down Pittsburgh. They didn't have the height -- Pitt is one of the tallest teams in Division 1 -- and they didn't have any ability to get into the paint and try to score something easy.
Not that that is Davidson's game, but they needed to try everything to score anything against the Panthers. That is because they were just 6-for-30 from 3-point range, the major strength of this Wildcats team. The Pitt defense was just that good at pulling out to the 3-point line and shutting Davidson down.
Peyton Aldridge scored 19 points, but was just 2-for-8 from deep and shot 7-for-18 overall. Jack Gibbs also got 19, but he was totally ineffective from 3-point range, even when wide open.
Even when Davidson got to the free throw line, they couldn't do anything. The Wildcats went 15-for-26, a paltry 57.7 percent.
Meanwhile, Pitt just pushed the peddle down and sprinted ahead. Michael Young scored 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting to lead the way, adding six rebounds and three assists.
It will be back to the drawing board for Davidson, who have a tune-up against Morehead State before their final chance at a good win outside of conference, against Cal.
Then it will be time for the Atlantic 10 season. Right now, you would imagine that Davidson may be overmatched, especially against some of the bigger squads, like George Washington, or even Dayton. They can't afford shooting nights like they had Sunday afternoon because they have no other option right now.