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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – In a mid-season #1 vs. #2 matchup, it was the host Lady Panthers who used a late first half surge to push them past #1 Northwestern 89-80 in front of the biggest crowd ever to see a women's game in the DU Student Center.  The win lifts DU to a perfect 16-0 while the Red Raiders were dealt their first loss of the season and ended their 18 game winning streak dating back to 2009-10.

Jeannie Closson (Parchment, Mich.) and Kallie Benike (Campbellsport, Wis.) each posted double-doubles as Closson went for 23 points and 10 rebounds while Benike finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.  Kristi Boehm (Kent City, Mich.) and Riana Hensley were the only other Lady Panthers to finish in double-digits as Boehm accumulated 12 points, 7 assists and 3 steals on the day while Hensley chipped in with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks.

The opening 13:41 of the game was a see-saw battle that saw five ties and four lead changes.  Northwestern held their largest lead of the game at three points (23-20) with 9:53 after a layup from All-American Becca Hurley.  DU scored nine of the next 15 points to tie the score at 29 with 6:19 to play in the opening half.

For the remainder of the first half, DU went on a tear and used two runs of 7-0 to finish the half up 49-38.  The first run was highlighted by a deep three-pointer from Jeannie Closson (Parchment, Mich.) and the second featured four points from All-American Kallie Benike (Campbellsport, Wis.). A late long ball from the Red Raiders brought the score to 49-38 at the break in favor of Davenport.

Both teams were relatively cool from the field in the opening twenty minutes as Northwestern held a 39%-37% advantage.  Each team made 15 shots from the floor but DU posted two more from behind the arc and was 13-14 from the charity stripe.

Davenport came out of the locker room blazing from the floor as they increased the lead to 18 in just 2:34.  The Lady Panthers got four points from Closson and Benike during the run and the lead was the largest of the game for the home team.

Northwestern, who had not lost since an 81-70 setback to then #1 Hastings College on February 13 of 2010, came back fighting and got the lead down to single digits at 63-54 over the next three minutes. The lead would hover right around that mark and although the Red Raiders got to within eight on a layup from Kendra De Jong with 11:56 to play, the Lady Panthers were too much to overcome.

Davenport's senior combination of Kallie Benike (Campbellsport, Wis.), Kristi Boehm (Kent City, Mich.) and Jeannie Closson (Parchment, Mich.) then scored seven straight points to push the lead back to 15 and DU would never look back eventually winning 89-80. DU converted on 17 of 36 shots from the field (47%) in the second half while limiting the Raiders to 36% shooting. 

For the game, Northwestern outrebounded the Lady Panthers 51-41 as NW sophomore Kendra De Jong posted 17 rebounds to go along with her 19 points.  Red Raider senior Becca Hurley finished with a team high 20 points but was just 5-19 from the floor and 1-10 from behind the arc.

Davenport finished the game shooting 42.1%  (32-76) from the field but it was their 19-22 performance from the free-throw line that was most impressive. 

The #2 ranked Lady Panthers will play at 5:00pm on Thursday against Indiana University – Northwest.  The Red Hawks, an NAIA Independent, feature Sharon Houston who is averaging 23 points and 17 rebounds per game.  The 6'4 junior recently had a game where she finished with 43 points and 29 rebounds. The game will be broadcast through live video and audio on the DAN beginning at 4:40pm.