GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – It was a major difference in just a couple of hours on Saturday as the Davenport women's basketball rebounded from a 34-point loss last night and picked up their first win of the season by a final score of 60-58 over Wayne State.
 
The biggest difference was hustle and defense for the Panthers as they brought a great energy to the court. That was echoed by head coach Rick Albro who offered his thoughts after the win.
 
"We had a gutsy, gritty team effort today! DEFENSE wins and our mindset was everything. We just were able to bond together and get the job done against a very good Wayne State team."
 
The first quarter was a great indicator that this game was going to be different. The Panthers trailed 19-17 after 10 minutes but battled for every possession. There were three ties and two lead changes as Davenport shot 7-of-15 from the floor.
 
It was a one-possession game for a large majority of the second quarter and Wayne State pulled ahead 31-27 at the 4:01 mark. Neither team could score in the final 2:39 after a pair of free throws by Isabella Starzyk and the Warriors led 33-32 at halftime.
 
The third quarter finished strong for the Panthers after the media timeout at 4:57. The Panthers ended the quarter on a 7-1 run and Kenzie Wilkinson's layup at the 31-second mark made it 47-42 with 10 minutes to go.
 
Davenport built their largest lead at 55-44 after a pair of Toni Grace free throws with 6:22 remaining. The Warriors battled back over the next five minutes and trailed 57-55 with 1:12 left after Rebecca Fugate made a pair of free throws. The defense got a few stops for DU and Loni Sales split at the line for a 58-55 lead with 16 seconds on the clock. Sam Cherney was fouled on the other end before the Warriors could get up a three-pointer. She made the first and missed the second as Taylor Opolka secured the rebound and got it to Scout Nelson who was fouled. She calmly nailed both freebies with 10 seconds left and Cherney converted an offensive rebound into a layup as time expired.
 
Grace led all scorers with 20 points, which marked the eighth 20-point game of her career. She was 4-of-11 from the arc and 6-of-6 at the free throw line. Scout Nelson added 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes. Wilkinson off the bench led the team with eight rebounds and added seven points in 28 minutes. The Panthers hit the offensive glass with 18 rebounds as Opolka grabbed five and finished with seven total rebounds and six points. Emily Lange added seven points and five rebounds.

Story by Ryan Thompson