KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Chris Rollins led all scorers with 23 points while Jakub Dombek finished with a double-double in his Davenport debut as the Panthers shot nearly 52 percent from the field to defeat Rockhurst in the 2021-22 season opener, 77-64. Davenport improved to 4-0 in the all-time series against Rockhurst and three of those four victories came by at least 11 points.

Rollins was efficient in his 16th career 20-point game as he went 7-for-11 from the field, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc, and a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line. The redshirt senior added four rebounds, three steals and two assists in his 33 minutes on the court. Dombek also played the role of stat sheet stuffer as he finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and a steal in just 23 minutes.

Also making his debut in a Davenport uniform, Jairus Stevens joined the double-figures party with 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting to go with seven rebounds, two steals and an assist. Jarrin Randall paced the Panthers in assists with five to go with nine points, two steals and no turnovers. Samm Jones represented another program debut and notched eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and no turnovers. Rounding out the scoring for the Panthers was Chaz Birchfield with nine, Jaylen Hodges with five (collegiate debut) and Noble Cooper with two (DU debut).

Team wise, Davenport held a firm advantage in bench points (26-16), fast-break points (16-0), steals (12-3), points off turnovers (22-8), and points in the paint (32-24). The Panthers shot nearly 60 percent from the floor in the first half (17-of-29) and held the Hawks to just 33.3 percent shooting (10-for-30) in the final 20 minutes.

The difference came with just over 11 minutes to play in the game. At that point, Davenport was up by just seven points, 59-52, and proceeded to go on an 11-3 run over the next seven and a half minutes to take its biggest lead of the game at 15, 70-55. During that span, the Hawks made just one of their 10 field goal attempts while the Panthers converted on four of their eight. From there until the end of the game, Rockhurst could never get closer than 12 before the final 13-point margin.

Next up, Davenport will stay in Kansas City and Face William Jewell on Saturday in Rockhurst's gym with the opening tip scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.

Story by: Cooper Weidenthaler