KENOSHA, Wis. - The Davenport University men's basketball team led Southwest Minnesota State by eight, 36-28, at halftime before being outscored by 18, 45-27, in the second half and falling to the Mustangs, 73-63. Next up, Davenport will play its home opener on Tuesday against Great Lakes Christian with the opening tip scheduled for 7 p.m.

Jairus Stevens (pictured) led a pair of Panthers in double-figures with 16 points and Noble Cooper added 12. Luke Maranka and Jeff Carrier each brought down five rebounds while Marcedus Leech Jr. and Chris Rollins each dished out four assists. Maranka also blocked a pair of shots while Leech Jr. and Stevens were responsible for two steals apiece.

The Mustangs' final lead of the first half came with a layup at the 10:29 mark that put them up by one, 15-14. The Panthers then punched back with an 18-6 run that gave them their biggest lead of the game at 11, 32-21. Southwest Minnesota State cut the deficit to seven, 32-25, before heading into the locker room down eight, 36-28.

Out of the break, the two teams exchanged the lead four times before SMSU took the advantage back for good. At that point, Davenport led by one, 43-42, before Southwest Minnesota State hit a pair of free throws that started a 20-11 burst and gave the Mustangs' their first double-digit lead of the game at 10, 63-53. After that, the Panthers cut it to five at 64-59 with three minutes to play, but never closer.

Story by: Cooper Weidenthaler