BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - Chris Rollins, the most experienced player on Davenport's roster (106th-straight game played), went to the free throw line with 4.2 seconds remaining and the score tied, 90-90, on Wednesday at Ferris State in the GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals. Rollins missed the first, both teams called a timeout and the redshirt senior came back out to drain the second and give his team a one-point lead, 91-90. From there, the top-seeded Bulldogs were unable to even get a shot up and the eighth-seeded Panthers held on to advance to the semifinals for the second time in program history.
Davenport (15-13) improved to 4-2 all time against Ferris State, 3-2 in the GLIAC Tournament and handed the Bulldogs their fourth-consecutive GLIAC quarterfinal defeat. On the other side, Ferris State (21-8) has lost five of its last eight games, a stretch that began with the Panthers defeating the then-ranked No. 15 Bulldogs, 75-73, on Feb. 7 in Grand Rapids. Davenport will now turn its attention to fourth-seeded Saginaw Valley State (19-10), a team its already beat twice this season, and the semifinals on Saturday in Houghton, Mich. (hosted by Michigan Tech). The Cardinals took down fifth-seeded Grand Valley State, 70-58, in University Center on Wednesday.
Rollins' game-winning free throw gave him a team-high 23 points for his 20th career 20-point game and fifth this season.
Jarrin Randall was right on his heels with 22 points for the fifth 20-point performance of his career, all of which have come this season. Randall was able to surpass that 20-point plateau with a vital step-back three-pointer at the 2:22 mark that pulled Davenport within one, 88-87. Also scoring in double-figures for the Panthers were
Jairus Stevens with 15 and
Marcedus Leech Jr. with 11. Stevens brought down six rebounds, Rollins dished out a personal-best nine assists, Stevens' registered the team's lone block, and Rollins also notched four steals.
Davenport improved to 11-3 overall and 8-2 in GLIAC play when leading at halftime this season while moving above the .500 mark in true road games at 7-6. The Panthers thrived on the run as they outscored the Bulldogs 26-6 in fast-break scoring and also held a 10-point advantage in points off turnovers, 18-8. DU turned the ball over just 11 times compared to 17 by FSU and racked up 20 assists for the second-straight game, something they hadn't done since November of 2018. Those 17 turnovers for the Bulldogs are their most since giving it away 23 times on Dec. 9 at Northern Michigan.
Once Randall pulled his team within one, Rollins converted one of two free throws and Stevens made a layup to put Davenport ahead by two, 90-88, at the 1:26 mark. Ferris State's Dorian Aluyi then made two free throws of his own with just 32 seconds to play that made the score 90-90 before the ensuing heroics from No. 2. Overall, the instant classic saw a total of 19 ties and 20 lead changes.
Story by:
Cooper Weidenthaler
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