POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – Davenport takes on No. 13 Saint Francis University (Ind.) in the third round of the 2011 NAIA National Tournament. The Panthers enter with an overall record of 29-5 while the Cougars are 26-9. Davenport advanced by defeating Briar Cliff 72-68 and No. 5 Black Hills State 78-74 in overtime. Check out the preview for the game including links to live video/audio and stats.
Tipoff: Saturday, March 12th, 2:00 PM EST
Location: Point Lookout, Mo.
Video: CLICK HERE
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Internet Radio: CLICK HERE
The Opponent: No. 13 St. Francis (Ind.) (Scout) – The Saint Francis University Cougars are making their fourth trip to nationals after winning the Mid-Central College Conference tournament. St. Francis finished the season 26-9 overall and 10-6 in conference which was good enough for the 13-seed in the national tournament. The cougars are 7-2 in the national tournament and advanced by defeating Northwest (Wash.) 87-79 and No. 4 Bellevue (Neb.) 76-74 on a tip-in with 0.8 seconds left. The cougars are the defending tournament champions.
Leading St. Francis will be Senior DeJovaun Sawyer-Davis. Davis is averaging a team high 20.29 points and 7.18 rebounds a game. He is shooting nearly 50% from the field on the season. In his two tournament games this season Davis is averaging 18 points and 7.5 rebounds. He ranks fourth in the country in total scoring with 690 points and 12th in the country in points per game.
The Panthers will also have to slow down Qadr Owens. Owens is averaging 18.5 points per game this season and leads the team with 3.85 assists and 1.97 steals per game. Owens has scored over 20 points in three consecutive games including a 21 and 20 point game in the national tournament. In the national tournament he has averaged 5 rebounds, 2.5 assist, and 2 steals a game.
The cougars rank 8th in total rebounds with 1310 on the season and 9th is scoring offense with 2679 points.
The Series: This is the first meeting between Davenport and St. Francis (Ind.)
NAIA National Tournament History for DU – Davenport is making its second straight appearance and second overall at the NAIA D2 National Tournament…The Panthers lost in the opening round in 2009-10 to Eastern Oregon and have an 2-1 overall record in Point Lookout after their win over Briar Cliff and over Black Hills State in overtime…The Panthers were an un-seeded team in 2009-10 and enter the current tournament as the No. 12…Nathan Cox is averaging 23 points and 5 rebounds in the Panthers two tournament games
2011 Post-Season Quick Facts - The 29 wins overall and 13 in league play are the most in school history...DU has won 8 straight games entering post-season play...Davenport posted wins over #17 Grace (Ind), #25 Indiana Tech and #3 Cornerstone as well as NCAA D3 powers Calvin College and Hope College...Nathan Cox became the school's all-time leading scorer, rebounder and also sits on top in field goals made and free-throws made...Cox was voted as the WHAC Player of the Year...James Humphrey and James Nelson were named 2nd Team All-WHAC...Humphrey and freshman JaVontae Ford were named All-WHAC Newcomer team...Ford was also named All-WHAC Defensive team
