Since March, the air had been still at Bob McKillop Court in Belk Arena, and loyal Davidson fans and students have anxiously awaited the return of “Sweet Caroline” and Wildcats hoops. On Monday, November 4th, the wait ended, and the stillness was broken.
While the squeak of sneakers and the smell of popcorn flooded the atmosphere, the team, lead by Coach Matt McKillop ‘06, was set to face the William Peace Pacers. An offseason full of questions, speculations, and a little hope had reached its culmination. As students filed into Section 30, the pregame hype video harkened back to Davidson players and teams of old. The starting lineup—Bobby Durkin ‘27, Mike Loughnane ‘27, Reed Bailey ‘26, Sean Logan ‘26, and Connor Kochera ‘25—took the floor sporting new uniforms, and from the opening tip (which Davidson won) there was no looking back.
After a few opening minutes without a basket, Kochera scored the inaugural points of the 2024-25 season with a pair of free throws. Kochera continued to score well, finishing the first half with thirteen points. Despite the solid numbers, scoring was not the first priority for Kochera. “The key to my success was taking the game as it came to me, [and] not trying to force anything. I want to have an aggressive mentality out there, but I want to make the right plays. [Monday’s] game was all about making the right play,” Kochera said.
As the scoring picked up for the ‘Cats, the defense remained stout. Davidson held William Pace under double-digit scoring for the majority of the first half. Coach McKillop elaborated on the defensive success, stating, “We have physicality. We have size and length that allows us to be in gaps [and] force turnovers. We have defensive instincts that can allow us to be really good.”
The Wildcats were more than good Monday night, forcing thirteen turnovers in the first half while only having six themselves. Their stingy defense held the Pacers to just 20.8% shooting from the floor in the first half.
With the contributions of welcome new additions like fifth-year transfer Zach Laput and Roberts Blums ‘28—who had an exceptionally beautiful drive and dish to Logan for a layup early in the half—Davidson shot a solid 50% from the floor and went into halftime up 44-17.
Logan opened the second half with a two-handed slam, setting the tone for what proved to be another dominant half from Davidson. Loughnane knocked down a transition three-pointer, which gave way to back-to-back threes from Durkin.
Kochera attributed the consistent play on both ends of the floor to the team’s focus. “Our team showed a great amount of energy and focus as we were preparing for this first game. That energy and focus persisted throughout the whole game. That energy and focus led to unselfishness on the court, [which] helped us keep the lead throughout the whole game,” Kochera said.
Despite William Peace’s offense improving in the second half, the Wildcats’ defense still held steadfast. The Pacers’ field goal percentage improved to 40.7%, but turnovers persisted, with the team coughing the ball up nine more times in the second half.
At the five minute mark, Manie Joses ‘28 levitated for a slam that put the exclamation point on a stellar night for Davidson. From there, it was smooth sailing. The ‘Cats rifled off another forty-four points on an even better shooting percentage of 52%. Reserves Brock Matheny ‘26 and Luke Zimmerman ‘25 were given some run, and Davidson closed the book on the first game of the new season.
Kochera finished the night leading all scorers with nineteen, much to the delight of a complimentary Coach McKillop.
“He brings a lot of versatility in every facet; [h]e’s a brilliant, smart player who knows how to make adjustments and correct himself,” Coach McKillop said of his fifth-year senior.
While excited by the win, Kochera knows the grind is only beginning for the Wildcats. “It’s a great win; [we] love kicking off the season with a win of that caliber. We’re confident […] but we’ve got a long way to go, so we’re just taking it one game at a time,” Kochera said. The Wildcats will tip off away against Bowling Green on Friday, November 8th, at 7PM.