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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Karli Harris scored 19 points, Tiesha Stokes added 18 and Emily Nielsen contributed 12 as the fifth-ranked Davenport women's basketball team used a 19-0 run to start the game to help roll past Madonna 81-54 in a Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference contest Saturday afternoon.
 
Seven was also the number for Harris and Stokes. It was the number of assists Harris recorded and the number of rebounds Stokes collected. Gross led the effort on the glass with eight and Stokes paced the Panthers in steals with six, matching her season best.
 
Davenport won the opening tip and ignited a run that became the difference in the game. Harris scored eight points, Stokes added seven and Kendra Cook and Nielsen each put in a pair of points to help Davenport start the game with a 19-0 run in the first 4:28 minutes of play.
 
The Panthers entered the locker room with a 41-19 lead, shooting 45 percent from the floor and conceding only seven turnovers. Harris paced the team with 17 points, four steals and three assists. They also made only two 3-point shots while the rest of the 41 points were made in the paint. The Crusaders went 6-for-28 on the floor but made up ground on the charity stripe, going 7-for-11.
 
After only scoring 19 points in the opening half, the second half belonged to the Crusaders as shot 41 percent over Davenport's 37.  
 
For the Panthers, Stokes led the effort in the latter half with nine points, five rebounds and four assists. Nielsen nailed two 3-point shots and added a pair of free throws for eight points.
 
The Panthers will step out of conference play for the rest of the calendar year and before they enter the Holiday break, they will host Ohio Wesleyan Friday at 6 p.m.
 
Post-Game Quotes –
 
Head coach Mike Williams
 
On if the week off from competition brought more energy to the team: “I think it did. We practiced Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, took Thursday off and practice late on Friday. I thought we had a lot of pop, a lot of energy. We were pretty relentless. Sometimes you get a nice week to prepare for a team and it helps.”
 
On the improvement of rebounding: “It's getting better, we've been working on it. It's been a major point of emphasis for us and I think our players are carrying it over, doing a good job. That stretch during the last five minutes, they got about six or seven offensive rebounds, but outside of that, I thought we did a nice job.”
 
On the starters getting started with the 19-0 run: “I think the nice thing is we've got some seniors that are taking leadership role. They understand that its there game, it's on their shoulders. I think they're starting to take that ownership and its showing when we play.”
 
Senior guard Emily Nielsen
 
On the start: “That' was nice coming out 19-0, but I think we were really prepared for the game from the start. We knew they were going to be a good team so we couldn't take them easily. I think they couldn't handle our pressure and couldn't make shots so it worked out really well.”
 
Post-Game Notes
 
Davenport improves to 11-0 overall and 7-0 in the WHAC…Davenport has out-rebounded its opponents for three straight games…Davenport improves to 17-5 all-time against the Crusaders…The 32 shooting percentage the Crusaders recorded was the lowest by a Davenport opponent this season…With two free throws made, Karli Harris is two shy from tying Shannon Callaghan (2003-07), who's 168 free throws ranks ninth on the all-time list…With five steals on the afternoon, Harris has recorded 180 in her career in a DU uniform and is three short from tying Karen Rugless (2002-06) for eighth all-time.
 
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