GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Davenport men's basketball team had a signature moment in their last time out with a convincing road win at Parkside on Saturday. The Rangers suffered their first GLIAC loss of the season and the Panthers are hoping to build some momentum heading into home games against Saginaw Valley State on Thursday and Wayne State on Saturday.

The team will finally be playing a home conference game after five straight on the road to begin league play. 7 of the next 9 league games will be played at the DU Student Center. The Panthers have tasted success in the all-time series against the Cardinals and have won eight straight against the Mid-Michigan foe. The last matchup took place in the GLIAC Tournament semifinals on March 5 in Houghton. The eighth-seeded Panthers rode their magic all the way in the GLIAC Tournament championship. Luke Maranka scored 28 points on 10-of-14 shooting and grabbed 10 boards and blocked three shots. Jarrin Randall added 19 points and Marcedus Leech Jr. added 18 points and eight boards. SVSU nearly swept the U.P. schools last week winning 69-58 over Michigan Tech and falling 71-68 against Northern Michigan. Freddie McIntosh led the Cardinals with 16 points and also had six boards, four assists, and four steals.

Last weekend, the Warriors went to overtime in both games against Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan in Detroit. On Thursday, it was a 64-62 loss to the Wildcats and then they rebounded with a 72-65 victory over the Huskies. Antonio Marshall made a three-pointer with one second left to force overtime on Saturday. He then scored five points in overtime to get their second league win. Avery Lewis led the team with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Marshall scored 18 points and grabbed nine boards in 41 minutes. The Warriors went to the free throw line 34 times and made 22. They also committed just 11 turnovers. Carmelo Harris currently leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game.

•    Purdue Northwest 82, Davenport 75 (Jan. 5)
The Panthers fought to the end at Purdue Northwest as GLIAC play began in 2023. The teams were close to one another in terms of shooting the ball, but ultimately it was a case of just too many turnovers by Davenport in the seven-point setback. The Panthers shot 50.9 percent for the contest, the fourth time this season they shot over 50 percent in a game. DU was also 7-of-18 from the arc and 14-of-20 at the free throw line. PNW converted 45.5 percent from the floor including 9-of-25 from deep and 13-of-19 at the stripe. The turnovers totaled 29 by DU which was a season-high and led to 36 points for the Pride. DU led during the entire first half but the Pride took their first lead seconds into the second half, 40-39. The Pride increased their lead to 57-47 with 11:07 to go, but Jaden Terrell and Jordan Sterling had back-to-back buckets to make it 62-60 with 6:04 left. That was as close as the Panthers would get however as Purdue Northwest surged ahead 74-63 with 1:28 left to seal the win. Marcedus Leech Jr. tied a career-high with 26 points for his 10th career 20-point game and seventh this season. Luke Bara added 10 points and hit double figures for the third time this season. James Felton had a career-high four assists and grabbed five rebounds in 24 minutes.

•    Davenport 72, Parkside 58 (Jan. 7)
The Panthers pulled off the upset on Saturday over previously unbeaten in the GLIAC Parkside. Parkside entered the game 5-0 in the conference while DU was 0-4. DU shot 53.8 percent from the field and had one of their best defense efforts of the season against a Ranger squad that averages 71.5 points per game. Jordan Sterling had six early points within the first six minutes and with eight minutes left in the first half, DU went on a 10-0 run with the help of a three-pointer by Marcedus Leech Jr. and Sterling to put the Panthers ahead 24-19. They increased their lead to 42-30 at intermission and Leech Jr. scored 16 points in the first 20 minutes. DU shot 57.7 percent in the first half and held the Rangers to 33.3 percent. Leech Jr. finished with a career-high 29 points and Sterling added 18 points. Jaden Terrell chipped in 11 points and grabbed eight boards. Overall, Davenport shot 53.8 percent from the field, 50 percent from the arc, and 85.7 percent at the charity stripe.

LIVE COVERAGE
Thursday, Jan. 12 vs Saginaw Valley State (7:30 PM) - Live Video (FloSports) - Live Stats
Saturday, Jan. 14 vs Wayne State (3:00 PM) - Live Video (FloSports) - Live Stats
 

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