ALLENDALE, Mich. - Marcedus Leech Jr. (pictured) poured in a career-high 26 points and
Jairus Stevens added his eighth career double-double (first as a Panther) with 20 points and 10 rebounds as Davenport took down Grand Valley State on the road Tuesday night, 87-72. The Panthers enjoyed a lead for nearly 70 percent of the game and led by as many as 20 in the second half before the final margin of 15 points. Next up, DU will play its first home game in nearly two months on Thursday when it hosts Purdue Northwest at 8 p.m.
Davenport (8-6, 4-3 GLIAC) snapped a three-game losing streak as well as a three-game stretch of trailing at halftime. The Panthers also took a lead into halftime in Allendale for the third time in a row and climbed back above the .500 mark in GLIAC play. On the other side, Grand Valley State dropped to 12-4 overall, 6-3 in the league and all four of their losses have come at home. This season marks the first time since 2018-19 that the Lakers have lost more than three games at home in a single campaign.
Leech Jr. could do no wrong on Tuesday night as he finished with 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including 6-of-11 from behind the arc, to go with three rebounds and just one turnover in 35 minutes played. Stevens scored 20 points for the first time as a Panther and notched his first DU double-double in the process thanks to 10 boards to go with four assists and not a single turnover.
Jakub Dombek led Davenport in rebounds with 11 marking just the second time since the program switched to Division II that multiple Panthers have brought down 10 or more rebounds in a game. The other time came in the 2019-20 season opener against USC Aiken when Chris Pearl (13) and
Tafari Beckford (11) did it.
Jarrin Randall stayed hot with 14 points while
Chris Rollins got back on track after 13 points and six assists, which tied Grand Valley's Jordan Harris for the game high. Randall and Rollins each notched a steal while Dombek blocked four shot attempts, the most of his career.
As a team, Davenport crashed the glass with 46 rebounds, which is tied for the most in their Division II era. The Panthers also turned the ball over just nine times, which is tied for their lowest total since the 2019-20 season. Davenport held Grand Valley State to just 37.5 percent shooting (12-of-32) in the second half and outscored the Lakers 14-5 in second-chance points for the game. Outside of Harris, no one reached double-figures in points for the home team until Christian Negron did with a layup at the 4:20 mark of the second half.
Story by:
Cooper Weidenthaler
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