POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - The Davenport men's basketball team is advancing to the second round of the 2016 NAIA Division II National Tournament with a 77-62 win over Saint Xavier (Ill.) on Wednesday night at Keeter Gymnasium. The Panthers were tied for the first time this season at 36-36, but turned up the defense in the second half holding the Cougars to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor and 2-of-12 from the arc.

Senior Dominez Burnett scored 31 points on 13-of-21 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds in 36 minutes. Senior Wayne Bradford scored all 20 of his points in the second half as Davenport shot 47.4 percent in the second half and 49.2 percent overall for the contest.

The Panthers came out with an 8-0 run to start the game capped off by a John McCloud bucket at the 16:20 mark. The Cougars went on a 14-0 run to take a 27-18 lead after a Stanley Moore jumper in the paint. DU got five straight points by Burnett to cut it to 27-23 with 7:02 left in the half. Kyle Huppe connected on a triple to give SXU a 33-27 lead with 4:07 before halftime. The Panthers scored the final six points of the half in 2:28 including a basket by Burnett to close out the first 20 minutes.

The defense took over for Davenport in the second half and they led the final 17:58 after a Kevin Rich three-pointer. DU led by double figures for the first time in the second half at 57-47 with 10:56 left after a Burnett jumper in the paint. Bradford converted a layup in traffic with 6:47 left to basically seal it at 66-51.

The Panthers will face either Nebraska Wesleyan or Warner Pacific in the second round at 1 p.m. eastern time on Friday. Those teams play the final game on Wednesday at 10:45 p.m eastern time.