GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Daina Grazulis had 31 points and 15 rebounds for a double-double in her debut as a member of Davenport's women's basketball team, freshman Angela Hubert also reached double figures with 10 points, and the fourth-ranked Panthers opened the 2014-15 campaign with a 70-57 win over No. 12 Cardinal Stritch at the Student Center Thursday evening.
 
Grazulis, a 6-3 senior who transferred to Davenport from nearby Grand Valley State during the offseason, went 13-for-21 with most her field goals, along with Davenport's 36 points, were inside the paint. In addition, eight of her 15 boards were picked following a Panther shot.
 
Davenport shot 38.5 percent from the field but did not do very well from beyond the arc, going 5-for-23.
 
The Panthers couldn't quite find an answer to Wolves veteran Michelle Piepenburg, who finished the night with 21 points. Emily Nietzel also had a double figure performance with 12 points.
 
In a matchup between two teams that were members of last year's NAIA Fab Four, it was also the two schools' fourth matchup in three years. Davenport led for a majority of the contest but did lose the lead when a jumper by Janessa Baker gave Cardinal Stritch its first and only lead, 26-25, with 6:15 left in the first period. The Panthers turned around and used a 10-point run to get back up front and head into halftime with a 37-33 lead.
 
Davenport never looked back in the second half and built its largest lead in the game (14) with 1:49 remaining.
 
The Panthers will hit the road to play an exhibition with NCAA Division I Michigan in Ann Arbor Sunday at 2 p.m. DU's next game on the record will be against No. 19 Huntington (Ind.) Nov. 7 and the defending national champion Saint Francis (Ind.) Saturday.
 
Post-Game Notes
Davenport is 11-2 in its season openers…The Panthers are also 5-1 in the all-time series with Cardinal Stritch…Grazulis' 15 rebounds placed in her with a large group of former Panthers who are tied for fifth in the single-game record book…Davenport extends its win streak at the Student Center to 35
 
Women's Basketball Contact: Rick Hoskin | 616-871-6180 | rhoskin@davenport.edu
DU Athletics: Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
Women's Basketball: Twitter | Facebook.com