HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Davidson 63, West Virginia 60: Chris Czerapowicz recorded 15 points and nine rebounds and the Wildcats held off a late rally by the Mountaineers in the semifinals of the Old Spice Classic at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Davidson (3-2) ran off the first nine points of the second half – including a 3-pointer by Clint Mann – to take a 39-32 lead. West Virginia trimmed an 11-point deficit to 58-57 before Czerapowicz made a 3-pointer with 51.1 seconds left. The Wildcats survived Juwan Staten’s 3-pointer at the buzzer that hit the rim and bounced away.

De’Mon Brooks scored 12 points while Mann and Jake Cohen added 11 for Davidson, which plays winner of the Gonzaga-Oklahoma game later Friday in the championship game on Sunday. Nik Cochran made a pair of free throws with 10.7 seconds left before Staten’s desperation try.

Staten finished with 15 points, Gary Browne had 11 and Deniz Kilicli chipped in with 10 points and 11 rebounds for West Virginia (1-2), which shot just 8-of-17 from the free-throw line.

Davidson scored eight of the game’s first 10 points before West Virginia outscored the Wildcats 28-14 to take an eight-point lead, its biggest of the first half. Six points by Czerapowicz in the final 2:51 helped Davidson pull within 32-30 at halftime.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Davidson scoring leader JP Kuhlman missed his second straight game with an ankle injury. … West Virginia plays the loser of the Gonzaga-Oklahoma for third place on Sunday. … Davidson was 17-of-22 from the free-throw line.