By: Justice Steiner, Assistant Manager of Athletic Communications
Box Score DETROIT, Mich. - After a dominating first half performance, the Davenport University men's basketball team fell short against Wayne State in the final minutes, 68-63, at the WSU Fieldhouse in Detroit, Mich.
Jordan Sterling hit a triple off a Marcedus Leech Jr. assist to give the Panthers (7-18, 3-12 GLIAC) their second lead of the contest over the Warriors (8-14, 5-10 GLIAC) 6:04 into the first half. DU took over the remainder of the half, closing out the half with a 45-29 edge heading into the break.
WSU opened the second half with an 8-0 run to set the DU lead at 45-37 with 17:10 remaining. James Felton halted the Warriors' early second-half surge, hitting his second three-point shot in his collegiate career.
Minutes later, the Warriors scored 10 consecutive points, trimming the Panthers' lead to three. Sterling responded with a layup to put DU up five before a nearly four-minute scoring drought from both teams. Chaz Birchfield ended the game's dry spell with a free throw to put Davenport up 53-47 with 7:47 remaining.
Wayne State finished the final 6:25 on a 21-6 run to complete the comeback and give itself a six-point victory.
Leech Jr. tied a game-high in scoring with 22 points for Davenport while adding four rebounds and two steals. Sterling tallied 16 points, five rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Felton chipped in with eight points, eight rebounds, two steals, and a block for the Panthers.
Ray Williams Jr. led the Warriors with 22 points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Kaimen Lennox finished with a double-double, scoring 19 points and snatching 11 rebounds for WSU.
Looking ahead, the Panthers will now play their final road game of the 2022-23 regular season on Saturday in University Center, Mich. at 3 p.m. against SVSU.
