GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Panthers had an important game against GLIAC South opponent Grand Valley State University and DU came up with a big win. Heading into the game Davenport was in second place in the GLIAC South division standings and the Lakers were right behind them in third. With a win the Panthers would make a three game gap between them and the Lakers, with a loss the Lakers would move only one game behind DU. Davenport left no doubt on the court that they were the better team on Saturday, defeating Grand Valley State 80-59 and creating a three game lead in the conference standings between them and GV.
 
THE BASICS
Final Score: Davenport-80 | Grand Valley State-59
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich.


 
POINTS PER HALF
First Half: DU-44 | GVSU-27
Second Half: DU-36 | GVSU-32
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
In front of a large crowd in the DU Student Center the Panthers jumped out to the best start they could have drawn up. Chris Rollins had two consecutive plays on defense where he stole the ball and drove the length of the court for a layup, giving DU a 4-0 lead. The Panthers scored two more buckets to take an 8-0 lead. The Lakers finally got on the board 2:18 into the game when Jake Van Tubbergen hit a baseline jumper. The two teams traded buckets for a couple minutes and then Davenport found some outside shooting from an unlikely source. The Panthers went on a 10-2 run and six of those points came from Khadim Dieng. Dieng scored the six points on two three balls, with the second made three giving DU a 15-point advantage with 10:56 to play in the first half. The lead hovered around 11-16 points for the rest of the half. Davenport got to head into halftime with a smile on their face as Tafari Beckford drilled a corner three with seconds left on the clock, giving DU a 17-point halftime lead.
 
Davenport and Grand Valley went back and forth throughout the opening couple minutes of the second half, which favored DU since they held a double digit lead during the time. Sophomore Avery Hudson went on a tear later on in the half. From 13:27 till 10:28 Hudson scored 11 straight points for the Panthers. Davenport didn't give Grand Valley a chance to make a comeback as they continued to hit shots in the half, extending the lead into the 20's. The lead grew as high as 24 points in the game, which happened after a layup by Rollins, assisted by Hudson. Davenport had a better shooting outing in the first half, but it didn't matter as they still outscored the Lakers by four points in the second. The Panthers had the game in their control from the moment the ball tipped.
 
STAT LEADERS
Points: Hudson (22)
Rebounds: Hudson-Emory (8)
Assists: Hudson/Rollins (5)
Steals: Hudson/Rollins (2)
Blocks: Dieng (1)
 
INTERESTING FACTS
-Davenport is 2-1 against Grand Valley since joining the GLIAC as full time members back in the 2017-18 season.
 
UP NEXT
Davenport faces one of their toughest road tests of the season next week as they face Ashland University in Ohio. The Eagles are the only time ahead of Davenport in the GLIAC standings.
 
Story by: Devin Steiner
 
Picture credit: Andy Visockis