GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Panther men's basketball team ends the month of January with a pair of home games against Parkside (Thursday) and Purdue Northwest (Sunday). The GLIAC standings are up for grabs as things could shift significantly over the next month. Davenport is starting a stretch of five straight home games and will play seven of their final nine regular season games at home. The team is looking to turn around a 3-5 record at the DU Student Center and will look to defeat Parkside for the second time this season on Thursday at 7:30 PM. The Panthers are averaging 75.1 points per game at home and allowing 77.5 through eight games.

Parkside finds themselves in a three-way tie in the GLIAC with Ferris State and Lake Superior State and trails Northern Michigan by one game. The Rangers are in contention for their first GLIAC Championship as we hit the stretch run of games. Purdue Northwest got the upper hand last Saturday with a 90-82 upset win in Hammond. The Rangers shot 51.8 percent including 60 percent in the second half. Four players were in double figures led by Rasheed Bello and Nick Brown with 18 points. PNW shot 57.4 percent and were 9-of-11 at the charity stripe. The Pride scored 44 of their points in the paint compared to 36 for Parkside. Davenport won the first meeting this season on Jan. 7 by a score of 72-58. It still stands as a season low in scoring this season for the Rangers. Marcedus Leech Jr. led the Panthers with 29 points and connected on 6-of-11 from the arc. Jordan Sterling added 18 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. DU shot 53.8 percent and made half of their three-point shots going 10-of-20.

Purdue Northwest maintains a one-game lead over Davenport currently for the eighth spot in the GLIAC standings. The Pride took the first meeting this season back on Jan. 5 in Hammond by a score of 82-75. The Pride had a balanced scoring column with five players in double figures. Brevin Jefferson led them with 19 points and was efficient going 6-of-8 from the floor including 3-of-4 from the arc. Sangolay Njie added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. Purdue Northwest was able to get to the free throw line in the second half going 12-of-17. Marcedus Leech Jr. led all scorers with 28 points in 39 minutes. Luke Bara was also in double figures with 10 points. The Pride currently lead the GLIAC in three-point attempts per game (26.8), three-pointers per game (9.8), and turnovers forced per game (14.95).

•    Davenport 90, Michigan Tech 77 (Jan. 19)
The Panthers (6-12, 2-6 GLIAC) got their second straight GLIAC road win by shooting season highs in field goal percentage (61.4) and three-point percentage (52.6) while also going 10-of-12 at the free throw line.

It was a torrid first half for the Panthers who shot 69.7 percent (23-of-33) and led 53-42 at the break. The Panthers trailed early in the contest down 7-2 in the first 2:40 after a triple by Marcus Tomashek. DU took their first lead since 2-0 at the 8:06 mark of the first half after a Marcedus Leech Jr. layup on the fast break after a steal. The Huskies regained the lead 31-26 with 6:01 left in the opening half, but the Panthers owned the rest of the half outscoring the Huskies 27-11. DU built a 50-36 lead with 1:08 left in the half on a Jordan Sterling three-pointer.

The Panthers were never really threatened in the second half hitting the 90-point mark for the second time this season. Leech Jr. finished with 28 points on 12-of-16 from the floor including 4-of-7 from behind the arc. He and Jeff Carrier led the team with three steals. Carrier was back on the court after missing the last six games and played 18-plus minutes with five points and two assists. Sterling finished with 18 points going 7-of-12 from the floor. He also had four boards, three assists, and a steal. James Felton was the third Panther in double figures with 12 points and he also grabbed four rebounds.

•    Northern Michigan 89, Davenport 74 (Jan. 21)
The Panther men's basketball team jumped out to a quick lead and kept that lead until the 9:45 mark of the first half in what turned out to be a double-digit loss at Northern Michigan on Saturday afternoon. It was a solid opening 10:15 for the Panthers who took an 8-1 lead in the first two-plus minutes of the game against the Wildcats. Jaden Terrell's three-pointer gave the Panthers just the start they were looking for and they kept the lead until NMU tied it at 13 with 13:43 left in the first half.

The Wildcats took their first lead at 18-16 at the 9:45 mark and they wouldn't relinquish it for the rest of the game. The Panthers were stuck on 16 points from 11:47 until 8:29 and during that time the Wildcats increased their lead to 22-16. Davenport shot 9-of-28 in the first half and were 4-of-10 from behind the arc. NMU shot 16-of-37 from the floor including 8-of-19 from deep.

Leech Jr. would go on to score 22 second-half points and finish with a career-high 35 points. It was tied for sixth all-time at DU for points in a game. He shot 11-of-20 from the floor including 5-of-10 from three-point range. He also made 8-of-10 at the free throw line and corraled four rebounds. Jordan Sterling finished with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor. DU finished 47.2 percent overall compared to 49.2 for Northern Michigan.

LIVE COVERAGE
Thursday, Jan. 26 vs. Parkside (7:30 PM) - Live Video (FloSports) - Live Stats
Saturday, Jan. 28 vs. Purdue Northwest (3:00 PM) - Live Video (FloSports) - Live Stats
 

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