No. 25 Davidson 82, Wofford 49

3/8/2008 5:31 PM

By PETE IACOBELLI
AP Sports Writer

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -The first ranking in nearly 40 years. A perfect Southern Conference season. A week to soak up the attention.

No. 25 Davidson shook off all of that Saturday, running the nation's longest winning streak to 20 games with an 82-49 victory over Wofford to advance to the Southern Conference tournament semifinals.

``We've been taking it one step at a time all year,'' Davidson guard Stephen Curry said. ``We're not looking forward, we're not looking behind, we're only looking at what's in front of us.''

And that could be a third straight conference title.

Curry had 19 points and Bryant Barr added 17 for the Wildcats (24-6), who will take on UNC Greensboro - the last team to beat Davidson in this tournament three years ago - on Sunday

Davidson will be a strong favorite to continue a run that's several years old.

They Wildcats have won their past 34 games against SoCon opponents, including a 20-0 mark this regular season.

It's no coincidence Curry's been there the whole time.

The smooth-shooting sophomore was the Southern Conference's player of the year after leading the league in scoring with a 25.3-point average.

Curry, the son of former NBA guard Dell Curry, scored 79 points last season as Davidson swept to its second straight tournament title.

He got off to a strong start in his bid to win a second straight tournament MVP.

Curry had two 3-pointers as Davidson took control with a 26-8 first-half run.

Barr hit three from behind the arc during the surge but when Curry stroked a 3 from the top of the key to close things, Davidson led 43-21.

Curry kept it up after halftime, nailing two rainbow 3s to start the period.

About the only drama left was whether Curry would crack the 20-point mark. Coach Bob McKillop chose to give his star a rest as Curry sat out the last 6 minutes.

McKillop, who has taken Davidson to the NCAA tournament four times in 18 seasons, said his latest group has a single-mindedness born from disappointment. The Wildcats' senior class, including point guard Jason Richards, remember all too well how as freshmen they came to the 2005 conference tournament off a 16-0 regular season and lost in the semifinals.

Davidson has dominated the Southern Conference the past four seasons, posting a 63-6 mark against league opponents in regular-season play.

Since then, Davidson has won its past seven SoCon tournament games.

``To come in with what would be perceived as a lot of pressure, and they motor along like it's another day,'' Wofford coach Mike Young said of the Wildcats. ``They are exceptional, to state the obvious.''

Drew Gibson led Wofford (16-16) with 24 points.

The Terriers came in as the No. 8 seed and were mildly excited that they won their opening-round game on Friday for the first time in four seasons. But toppling red-hot Davidson? That was too much to ask as Wofford lost its fifth straight to the Wildcats.

It had been a heady week for Davidson. The school got its first national ranking since the 1969-70 season when Lefty Driesell was the coach.

Maybe the extra attention, the perfect record and a weeklong layoff might catch up to the Southern Conference's top seed.

After a so-so start, Davidson put those fears to rest.

``I'm thrilled with our team. I'm thrilled with the consistency,'' McKillop said.

Gibson's free throw drew Wofford within 17-13 midway through the first half. That's when Curry, Barr and the Wildcats showed off their long-range shooting.

Gibson said Barr's play only makes Davidson more dangerous.

``It's going to be that much harder to beat them,'' he said.

Andrew Lovedale's basket started the run and Barr kept it going with two straight 3s. Curry's 3-pointer extended the lead to 30-19. Barr's next 3 made it 40-21 before Curry finished it off with his third 3-pointer of the half.

The Terriers were 1-for-8 on 3-pointers in the first half. Wofford's top two scorers, Shane Nichols and Gibson, combined to go 1-of-13 in the first half.