It’s not how you start, but how you finish.
Through much of their quarterfinal clash with La Salle in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, top-seeded Davidson did not resemble favorites. It didn’t last.
After trailing by nine points with 4:51 remaining, Davidson held the Explorers without a basket the rest of the way.
And on the final possession, Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Tyler Kalinoski received a pass on the left wing, drove to the basket and unleashed an off-balance left-handed scoop off the back of the iron and in, giving Davidson the come-from-behind 67-66 win.
“I made a move, saw the lane open, saw the shot‑blocker coming over and I knew I just had to get it high enough to get over him and give it a chance to go in, and luckily for us it did,” said Kalinoski, who added it was his first buzzer-beater since middle school.
Davidson (24-6) led the game for just 19 seconds. Ninth-seeded La Salle (17-16) was in control throughout the early going, dominating the battle in the paint, on the boards and on the scoreboard.
Their forward tandem of Steve Zack and Jerrell Wright combined for 31 points and 15 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. Then, DJ Peterson connected on three 3s to push the lead to 17.
“I thought John Giannini’s team put us on our heels with an outstanding effort,” Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. “After all we’ve been through, I’m still shocked to have a performance like we had today. It still shocks me with how poised they are, how team-orientated they are, how selfless they are.”
But Davidson remained undaunted, and pulled to within nine at the break. The Wildcats ended the half on a 10-2 run fueled by back-to-back 3s from Jack Gibbs, who scored a team-high 22 points, and Brian Sullivan as the clock expired. Then, Davidson’s defense took La Salle out of its rhythm.
“Credit to our assistant coaches,” McKillop said. “They were masters at getting the right matchups in there. … We came out in the second half and played the post entry differently.
“We had played at the top shoulder of the post and then sagged behind, so that when he did catch it, at least he wasn’t in a position where he was sliding off of us. We had to actually put a wall up so his only option would be to turn into the paint.”
For Davidson, it was disaster averted. Although the Wildcats are ranked 24th in the country, they are no locks for the NCAA Tournament. McKillop’s team needed a good showing in their inaugural A-10 Tournament to solidify a spot.
When they were put to the test, they showed the committee resilience. Kalinoski’s game-winner sealed the comback, but it was Gibbs’ 3 in the closing minute of the first half that was credited with swinging the momentum.
“We have this thing called ‘Big Mo,’” McKillop said. “We want to go into the locker room, in that last minute, and really dominate. And I walked into the locker room like, ‘Yay!’”
Davidson has its momentum.