By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
CHARLOTTE ó N.C. State defended Stephen Curry with five different players.
At least they didn’t all guard him at once.
Curry, in action for the first time since a scoreless outing against Loyola (Md.) on Nov. 25, had 44 points in Davidson’s 72-67 victory against the Wolfpack.
Javier Gonzalez, Farnold Degand, Trevor Ferguson, Simon Harris and C.J. Williams took turns trying to stop Curry.
Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos employed a strategy that involved two players shadowing Curry no matter where he went on the offensive end, and he went 0-for-3 from the field in a 78-48 blowout win.
“I played a lot of defense that game and hung out,” Curry said. “It was nice to get back in and get up and down the floor and do what I like to do: score and help my teammates out.”
Curry matched his career high for points ó he also had 44 against Oklahoma earlier this season.
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BACK AT IT: Degand ó who suffered a knee injury last December ó made his first appearance since N.C. State’s opener but played only four first-half minutes.
“His timing is off,” Wolfpack coach Sidney Lowe said. “I think the brace is uncomfortable for him; it slows him down. But he has to wear it. It’s a matter of him continuing to get more action, more contact.”
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HARD LUCK: Referee Jamie Luckie ejected Davidson’s Max Paulhus Gosselin in the first half following his flagrant foul on Ferguson.
Paulhus Gosselin has an injured right thumb, and he used his left arm to contest a fastbreak layup from the right side. Ferguson, who broke both of his wrists during a dunk attempt as a high school senior, took a nasty fall.
“I know that play (Paulhus Gosselin) wanted to get it with his right hand, but he had to use his left,” Davidson coach Bob McKillop said. “Using his left forced him to cross over the body and hit him in the head.”