GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Davenport University men's basketball team will play its final two games of the regular season on Thursday and Saturday, both of which will be on the road. The Panthers will be at Saginaw Valley State on Thursday for an 8 p.m. tip before a 3 p.m. tip on Saturday at Wayne State. DU beat both of those teams the first time around this season.
•   Davenport 68, Northwood 57: Marcedus Leech Jr. scored a team-high 18 points as Davenport defeated Northwood, 68-57, for the 2021-22 home finale.
Leech Jr. was one of four Panthers to score in double figures along with
Chris Rollins (14),
Luke Maranka (13) and
Jairus Stevens (10) while
Chaz Birchfield brought down a team-best eight rebounds. Three different players dished out three assists apiece including Maranka,
Jarrin Randall and
Samm Jones. Defensively, Maranka and
Jeff Carrier each notched a pair of blocks while Carrier, Rollins and Leech Jr. tallied two steals apiece.
The first half saw a pair of ties (2-2 and 13-13) and three lead changes before Davenport took over the lead for good at 15-13 with a Maranka dunk. That deuce came in the midst of a 12-2 run for the home team that put it ahead by seven, 22-15. Northwood was able to cut the deficit to three, 22-19, before the Panthers ended the half with 10 of the next 12 points to take their biggest advantage of the first half at 11, 32-21, into halftime.
Out of the break, the Timberwolves chipped away and were within three, 37-34, at the 16:28 mark. However, the Panthers didn't let it get any closer than that and their lead ballooned to as much as 18, 68-50, before the final 11-point margin.
•   Davenport 84, Northwood 78 (OT): Trailing Northwood by three, 65-62, with just a few seconds remaining,
Chris Rollins went to the line for a pair of free throws. Rollins made the first, missed the second on purpose and
Luke Maranka converted the putback to send the game into overtime. In a high scoring extra period, the Panthers outscored their opponent, 19-13, and escaped Riepma Arena with a second victory over the Timberwolves in as many nights.
Jarrin Randall (26 points) secured the 12th 20-point game for a Panther this season and leads the team with four of them. Also scoring in double-figures for Davenport were
Chris Rollins with 17,
Luke Maranka with 15 (tied career high) and
Jairus Stevens with 15. Stevens also brought down a team-high 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, the other coming at Grand Valley State on Jan. 25 (20 points and 10 rebounds).
Marcedus Leech Jr. dished out four assists, Maranka notched a pair of blocks and
Jeff Carrier and Rollins tallied two steals apiece.
The first half was a tight one that saw five ties and three lead changes. With that being said, Northwood's final lead was 12-10 and came with just over seven minutes played. Once it was 14-10 in favor of the home team, Randall cashed three-straight triples to give his team the lead for good. Aside from the final two deadlocks at 21-21 and 26-26, the Panthers led by as many as five on four occasions including 19-14, 21-16, 31-26, and 33-28 heading into halftime.
Out of the break, Davenport's advantage grew to as large as 10, 42-32, before Northwood responded with 14 of the next 16 points to go ahead by two, 46-44, at the 11:33 mark. Stevens then made a layup for the Panthers, but the Timberwolves took the lead back and wouldn't relinquish it again until the game was tied 65-65 heading into overtime. The visitors led by as many as six in the extra period, went 7-of-10 from the field in those five minutes and 3-of-5 from behind the arc.
•   Scouting the Cardinals: Saginaw Valley State has been much better at home this season with a record of 12-2 inside James E. O'Neill Arena and four-straight wins on that floor. In comparison, the Cardinals have gone just 5-7 on the road with five losses in their last seven games away from home. Individually, SVSU is led by the sixth-highest scorer in the GLIAC in Delano Smith and his 17.0 points per game while Darnell Hoskins Jr. (14.2), Tyler Witz (13.0) and Maurice Barnett (10.4) are also averaging in double-figures for the Cardinals. Witz is the eighth-best rebounder in the league with 7.2 per game while Smith also leads in the assist department with 2.6 per contest. As a team, Saginaw Valley State is second in the conference in scoring offense (78.7), but only seventh in scoring defense (73.4).
•   Scouting the Warriors: Much like Saginaw Valley State, Wayne State has been a completely different team when playing on its home court. All five of the Warriors' wins have come at home (5-5) as they own a record of 0-11 away from Wayne State Fieldhouse. Davenport leads the all-time series 5-4 but has lost its last two games in Detroit. With that being said, Saturday's game between the two teams will be the Panthers' first in the brand new Wayne State Fieldhouse. Individually, the Warriors' team leaders including Brailen Neely (14.3 points per game), Avery Lewis (7.5 rebounds per game - tied for sixth in GLIAC) and Neely again in assists with 4.7 per outing (first in GLIAC). Wayne State is last in the league in scoring offense (63.8), but ranks fourth in scoring defense (72.2).
LIVE COVERAGE
Thursday, Feb. 24 - 8:00 PM -
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Saturday, Feb. 26 - 3:00 PM -
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