Site: Grand Rapids, Mich. (DU Student Center)
Score: No. 10 Davenport 62, St. Francis (Ind.) 61
Records: DU (2-0), USF (2-1)
Next DU event: Friday, Nov. 8 – vs. Dordt – 7 p.m.
 
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Davenport erased a three-point deficit with just over 30 seconds to play and got the game winning bucket from sophomore Dominez Burnett with just over four seconds on the clock to escape the night with a 62-61 win over St. Francis (Ind.). Davenport, which trailed 30-24 at halftime, got 21 points from Burnett as they improve to 2-0 on the year. The No. 10 ranked Panthers will travel to Orange City, Iowa next weekend to face Dordt College on Friday night and the host Red Raiders of Northwestern on Saturday.

Dominez led Davenport with 21 points but it was his final two that carried the Panthers over the top as they completed a last minute comeback to steal a win from the visiting Cougars of Saint Francis (Ind.). JaVontae Ford had 13 and DeArmond Davis 12 to help the Panthers win their fourth straight Panther Tip-Off Tournament title.

Davenport jumped out to an early lead of 12-6 on a layup by JaVontae Ford and they had the look of another early season blow out but the Cougars had other ideas finishing the first half by scoring 24 of the next 36 points led by 14 from Josh Hogan. USF shot 41% in the opening 20 minutes and also went 8-9 from the foul line to post the six point lead.

The Panthers recovered quickly in the second half as they used a 9-2 run to post a 33-32 lead with 15:28 to play on a three-pointer from Braima Hai. The 3-ball was part of nine points for the freshman as he also finished with six assists and a pair of steals.

That lead would be short lived however as the Cougars got hot from the field and after three consecutive triples in a two minute span, Saint Francis held its largest lead of six again at 57-51 with 2:41 to play. Dominez Burnett then took over the game offensively as he scored eight of the Panthers final nine points including the game winner with just over four seconds.

Davenport had trailed by one with 14.4 seconds to play and the Cougars were inbounding the ball in their backcourt but Dawid Czerniawski forced a turnover to set up the final play in which DU had two offensive rebounds with the last coming from Burnett who laid it in. USF had one last chance with 2.8 seconds but a turnover ended the game with DU on top by one.

Davenport finished the night shooting 42.9% from the field compared to 45.8 from the Cougars. The Panthers did however hold an edge in points off turnovers (29-14) and points in the paint (36-28).

The Panthers will return to the court on Friday, November 8 when they take on Dordt College at the Red Raider Classic hosted by Northwestern College (Iowa). The Panthers and the Defenders will tip at 7 p.m. EST and Rick Berkey will have the call on the Davenport Athletics Network (DAN).

Post-Game Notes
Davenport is now 8-0 all-time in the Panther Tip-Off Tournament…The win improved their record to 14-24 under Burt Paddock when trailing at halftime and 46-32 when making less FT's than their opponent…Dating back to last season, this marked the sixth straight game Dominez Burnett has led the Panthers in scoring

Men's Basketball Contact: Aaron Sagraves | 616-554-5045 | asagraves@davenport.edu
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