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Davidson rolls in NIT Tip-Off behind Curry

Nov 18, 2008 - 4:54 AM NORMAN, Oklahoma (Ticker) -- Stephen Curry showed that a move to point guard is not going to limit his high-scoring ways.

Curry scored 33 points as No. 21 Davidson had very few issues in its opening game of the NIT Season Tip-Off, a 99-64 victory over James Madison on Monday.

The junior shot 14-of-19 from the field with four 3-pointers as he went over the 28-point plateau for second straight game. In the Wildcats' 107-83 season-opening win over Guilford, Curry had three baskets from the arc en route to finishing with 29.

It was the 16th career game with 30 or more points for Curry, who moved up to fifth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,723 points.

Switched over to the point due to the departure of Jason Richards, Curry has not shied away from his duties to score, handing out nine assists Monday. In his first two games, he has 19 assists compared to just five turnovers.

His decision to include his teammates was evident in this one, as Curry had assists on two of Davidson's first three baskets before hitting his first basket from the arc for a 14-2 lead less than 4 1/2 minutes in.

That advantage continued to grow, as two free throws by Andrew Lovedale made it 20-2 with 13:11 remaining.

Lovedale finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Bryant Barr scored 11 for the Wildcats (2-0), who will face No. 14 Oklahoma in the second round of the preseason tournament on Tuesday. The Sooners beat Mississippi Valley State, 94-53, late Monday.

Steve Rossiter and Brendan McKillop also scored 10 points as Davidson had five scorers in double figures for the first time since last season's opener against North Carolina.

It was the 21st consecutive win in the regular season for the Wildcats, who went 58.5 percent (38-of-65) from the field and held a 41-28 advantage in rebounding.

Julius Wells scored 21 points for James Madison (0-1), which shot just 35 percent (21-of-60) in its season opener.

Kyle Swanton scored 12 points and Juwann James added 10 and 11 rebounds for the Dukes, who will face Mississippi Valley State in the consolation game on Tuesday.