GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Senior
Scout Nelson had the game-winning plays last Tuesday in a win over Northwood and that all-around play continued on Sunday in a 73-61 win over visiting Hillsdale. The guard from Mt. Pleasant scored a career-high 24 points (six more than her previous high) on 8-of-15 shooting and connected on 4-of-9 behind the arc. She also contributed four rebounds, four steals (season high), three assists and one blocked shot in 38 minutes. She got her first start of the season and 75th of her career and had a remarkable game to lead the Panthers to their third straight win and a 4-2 record this season. The Panthers concluded a four-game homestand with a 3-1 record. Even more impressive is that the Panthers lost 81-44 last season at Hillsdale and have now won two of three in the all-time series with the Chargers.
Freshman
Claire Gregwer came off the bench to record her first double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes. Gregwer went 6-of-8 from the floor and grabbed five of those rebounds on the offensive end.
Lillee Gustafson got into foul trouble in the first half and Gregwer stepped up in her absence. Gustafson would play 24 minutes and finish with nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds. She went 3-of-4 at the free throw line and also had three assists, a steal, and a blocked shot. The game featured three lead changes and four ties, but the Panthers did lead for 29:56 of the game compared to 4:55 for the Chargers.
The teams were deadlocked at 18 after the first quarter, but the Panthers turned up the defense in the second quarter to limit Hillsdale to eight points and take a 34-26 lead into halftime. For there, Davenport outscored Hillsdale 20-18 in the third quarter and 19-17 in the fourth quarter to claim their fourth win of the season. Davenport shot 25-of-61 from the floor at 41 percent. They also connected on a season-high 10 three-pointers and were 13-of-19 from the free throw line up 13 percent from their season average. Hillsdale shot 36.4 percent from the floor including 9-of-27 from the arc.
Next up for the Panthers is the GLIAC opener on the road on Thursday, Dec. 1 at Lake Superior State.
