GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Davenport was riding their best win streak in program history into the GLIAC Championship game against Grand Valley State. Unfortunately, the Panthers were facing a Lakers team that was extremely hot. The Lakers made some tough shots down the stretch and Davenport went scoreless over the last minute and a half. The 2018-19 season for Davenport comes to a close, with the Panthers going an incredible 27-4.
 
THE BASICS
Final Score: Davenport-70 | Grand Valley State-80
Location: Grand Rapids, Mich. (DU Student Center)
 
POINTS PER HALF
First Half: DU-26 | GVSU-32
Second Half: DU-44 | GVSU-48
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Davenport had a tough time scoring the ball in the opening half. The Panthers scored just 26 points and trailed at halftime by six. The second half was a completely different story. The Lakers opened the half scoring two points, taking an eight-point lead. Davenport started making their comeback and the home crowd was behind them. Janeau Joubert hit a jumper and then Avery Hudson hit three free throws, cutting the lead down to three. After a couple baskets by the Lakers, Davenport went on a run that felt game changing. The Panthers scored 10 unanswered points and took their first lead of the game. Joubert hit a three with 17:01 to play to tie the game 38-38. On the next Davenport possession, Robbie Bramhill drilled a three right in front of the Davenport bench to give DU their first lead of the game, 41-38. The Panthers seemed to have the game in their control, growing their lead as high as nine points in the half. However, the Lakers never went away. The combination of Hunter Hale and Jeremiah Ferguson proved to be a lot to handle. After almost 38 minutes of back and forth action, the game was tied 70-70 with 1:36 on the clock. The Panthers went cold from the floor, missing four shots and turning the ball over twice in the final 1:30. Grand Valley State scored the final 11 points of the game to win the GLIAC Championship.

STAT LEADERS
Points: Dyllon Hudson Emory/Joubert (18)
Rebounds: Hudson-Emory (9)
Assists: Hudson (6)
Steals: Rollins (3)
Blocks: N/A



UP NEXT
The Panthers 2018-19 season comes to an end with the loss to Grand Valley. Davenport is unable to compete in the NCAA Division II national tournament this season due to the athletic department still being provisional members of the NCAA.
 
Story by: Devin Steiner
 
Picture credit: Walter Cronk