GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Davenport men's basketball team will start their 2015 NAIA Division II National Championship run on Thursday night as they face Briar Cliff (Iowa). The Panthers will play the second to last game of the opening round as they play the Chargers at 8:30 p.m. EDT in Point Lookout, Mo., on the campus of College of the Ozarks, where Rick Berkey will have the call live on the DAN.
 
Vs. Briar Cliff (Iowa) (NAIA Division II National Championships – First Round)
Date: Thursday, March 12, 2015
Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. EDT
Location: Point Lookout, Mo. (Keeter Gymnasium)
Internet Coverage: NAIA Network (Live Stats and Video) | The DAN (Live Audio)
Prices:  NAIA Network (Live Video) - 28 games; $20 championship pass / $75 all-season pass | The DAN Audio (Audio) – Free
 
A Quick Look at Briar Cliff – 22-10, 13-7 GPAC – Head Coach Nic Nelson
Briar Cliff (Iowa) is making their ninth appearance in the NAIA DII National Championships this season and they are making their first appearance since 2012. The Chargers enter the tournament with a 22-10 overall record and finished 13-7 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, where they bowed out in the semifinals of the conference tournament to runner-up Morningside (Iowa). The Chargers grabbed the eighth and final at-large bid into the tournament as they were ranked in the 25th in the final poll heading into the nationals. Briar Cliff has a balanced scoring attack as they have four players averaging double figures in points this season as the team scores an average of 79.7 points per game.
 
Panthers vs. Chargers
This is just the second all-time meeting between Davenport and Briar Cliff as the first ever meeting came in the 2011 edition of the NAIA National Championships. Davenport was able to edge Briar Cliff, 72-68 to grab their first ever win at the NAIA DII National Championships in program history.
 
The Last Time against the Chargers
In the only meeting between Davenport and Briar Cliff, the Panthers got off to a strong start as they went on a 10-2 run to open the game, as they were able to lead the entire half to take a 37-29 lead into the half. Davenport was able to push their lead to as many as 16 points with 6:35 left in the game, but the Chargers were able to make a late run on the Panthers, where they brought the lead within four points in the final minute of the game and they cut the lead to two points with five second left, but Lonnie Fairfax knocked down two free throws to ice the game for the Panthers, 72-68. JaVontae Ford led the Panthers with 23 points, while Nathan Cox chipped in with 20 points.
 
All-Time at the NAIA Tournament
Davenport has an all-time record of 7-5 at the NAIA DII National Championships, and this is the sixth straight appearance for the Panthers to Point Look, Mo. All 12 games came with head coach Burt Paddock at the helm of the Davenport men's basketball program.
 
Men's Basketball Contact: David Gerhart | 616-554-5045 | dgerhart@davenport.edu
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