Davidson reclaimed the Hornet’s Nest Trophy in gritty fashion Wednesday, beating the Charlotte 49ers 87-78 in overtime before a crowd of 6,595 in Halton Arena.
The Wildcats (3-5) had lost two straight to their Mecklenburg County rival 49ers (6-2). Plagued by foul trouble for most of the second half, Davidson played much of the game’s latter stages with five guards on the floor.
But that ultimately didn’t matter, as Davidson survived a final-second flurry in regulation, during which Charlotte’s Ben Cherry and Willie Clayton both missed shots at the rim to leave the score knotted at 74. The Wildcats dominated the overtime period, outscoring Charlotte 13-4.