Davidson rides wave of 3-pointers to beat Saint Louis and reach Atlantic 10 title game

Another day, another way of winning.

One day after a subpar 3-point shooting performance, Davidson did plenty of damage from long distance Saturday, downing Saint Louis 84-69 in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 men’s basketball tournament.

The top-seeded Wildcats (27-5) will play for the A-10’s automatic NCAA tournament berth Sunday, facing the winner of Saturday’s second semifinal between Dayton and Richmond.

Many analysts, however, believe Davidson already has clinched at least an at-large berth.

In Friday’s quarterfinals, Fordham tried to take away Davidson’s 3-point shots, and the Wildcats did their damage from mid-range.

On Saturday, the Wildcats were able to get open. In the first half, they made the most of those opportunities.

Davidson hit 8-of-13 shots from 3-point range in the opening 20 minutes, including 7 of 8 late in the half. That enabled the Wildcats to go on a 17-4 run that fueled a 44-24 halftime lead.

That essentially sealed the outcome.

“They’re a hard team to guard,” said Saint Louis forward Terrence Hargrove Jr., who came off the bench and led the fifth-seeded Billikens (23-11) with 14 points. “They make a living at the 3-point line.”

“They’re constantly moving,” Hargrove added. “That’s hard to defend against.”

Davidson’s long-distance shooting cooled in the second half, when the Wildcats made 2 of 10.

But coach Bob McKillop said he felt the Wildcats’ defense really was the key.

“I thought our guys started fast,” he said. “Our defense put our offense in a good position.”

Pointing to his team’s less-torrid shooting after halftime, McKillop added, “The shots didn’t fall in the second half, but our defense didn’t quit. I thought our defense was very good the whole game long.”

McKillop said his team’s ability to limit the Billikens’ 3-point specialist, Gibson Jimerson, was key. Michael Jones defended Jimerson for most of the game, limiting the Saint Louis guard to 3-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc.

“Michael Jones is a vastly underrated defender,” McKillop said.

Sam Mennenga and Desmond Watson, who had big games Friday against Fordham, each scored only four points Saturday.

But reserve Grant Huffman, also among Friday’s standouts, played well again Saturday.

In a reserve role, he scored 12 points in 22 minutes, making 4 of 4 from the floor, including a pair of 3-point shots.

Davidson point guard Foster Loyer, whose 21 points were tops on a day when five Wildcats scored in double figures, said Huffman came into his own late in the regular season. Loyer suffered an ankle injury and was replaced by Huffman for the final four games before the tournament.

“Those last four or five games of the regular season. He really stepped up while I was out,” Loyer said. “You could see the confidence in him.”

“He gives us an intensity that really helps,” Loyer added.

So the Wildcats are back in the A-10 final for the first time since 2018, when they won the event. Like this year, the 2018 tournament was played in Washington.

For the game, Davidson shot 51 percent from the floor (29-of-57), while Saint Louis shot 42 percent (25-of-59). The Wildcats outrebounded the Billikens 37-29, with Loyer (21), Hyunjung Lee (18), Luke Brajkovic (14), Michael Jones (13) and Huffman (12) in double figures.

Steve Lyttle on Twitter: @slyttle