GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Davenport women's basketball team has six more games to go in the regular season as they make a push to qualify for the GLIAC Tournament. This week will be another pair of tests against Northern Michigan on Thursday and 24th-ranked Michigan Tech on Saturday.

DU and NMU battled on the hardwood back on Jan. 21 in Marquette with the Wildcats getting the upper hand by a score of 57-46. This all-time series has been a defensive one with neither team scoring more than 60 points in any of the previous three meetings. The Panthers will be looking to end a three-game losing streak to Northern Michigan. Their last victory came on Mar. 2, 2021 in the GLIAC Tournament on the road by a final of 61-45. In the last meeting, the halftime score was 15 each as DU scored eight points in the first quarter and seven in the second quarter. NMU scored 13 in the first quarter and just two points in the second quarter. Lillee Gustafson led the Panthers with 16 points and had six rebounds in 35 minutes. Jaci Walker chipped in nine points and two steals off the bench in 24 minutes.

The Huskies crept into the top 25 this week for the first time this season checking in at No. 24 in Division II. Michigan Tech are winners of three straight and are a half-game behind GVSU for the top spot in the GLIAC standings. Last week, they disposed of Wayne State (80-70) and Saginaw Valley State (69-49) to improve to 10-0 on their home court this season. MTU is 8-4 on the road and will play at GVSU on Thursday before traveling to DU on Saturday. In the last matchup back on Jan. 19 in Houghton, the Panthers fell 76-58 as the Huskies shot 46.2 percent from the arc (12-of-26) and got 21 points from Alex Rondorf and 20 points from Isabella Lenz. Those two went 7-of-12 from the arc. Claire Gregwer had her best game of the season with a double-double comprised of 14 points and 15 rebounds. Scout Nelson added 12 points.

● #6 Grand Valley State 68, Davenport 46 (Feb. 4)

The Davenport University women's basketball team was defeated by No. 6 Grand Valley State University, 68-46, Saturday afternoon at the DU Student Center. After struggling offensively early in the contest, the Panthers (7-15, 1-11 GLIAC) were able to outscore the Lakers (20-2, 11-1 GLIAC) 38-35 in the second half. 

It was a slow start for both teams as the Lakers held a 7-0 lead with three minutes remaining in the first quarter. GVSU grew the advantage to 11-0 before Makenna Bryant ended the scoring drought for the Panthers with two free throws with 1:20 remaining in the first quarter. 

The Lakers responded with a 20-0 run, which spanned until the 2:19 mark in the second quarter, setting the score at 31-2. Alexa Kolnitys and Mary Liedel each hit a shot from beyond the arc down the stretch of the first half for DU to cut the GVSU lead to 33-8 heading into the half.

Davenport picked things up offensively, outscoring Grand Valley State 11-10 through the first 5:32 of the second half. A quick 7-0 Panther run at the end of the final quarter cut the Laker advantage to 19. However, the GVSU lead proved to be too much, maintaining its double-digit advantage for the remainder of the contest.  

Lillee Gustafson led all scorers with 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds while shooting 8-of-10 from the charity stripe for DU. Scout Nelson poured in eight points and grabbed three rebounds, while Kolnitys added seven points, two steals, and a game-high five assists. 

As a team, the Panthers forced the Lakers into 19 turnovers, while recording 11 steals, and 17 points off turnovers.

Ellie Droste led GVSU with 13 points, shooting a perfect 4-of-4 from the field. Hannah Kulas and Paige Vanstee provided a spark off the bench, each scoring 10 points. Emily Spitzley chipped in with nine points, three rebounds, and three assists in the victory.

QUICK HITTERS
● Lillee Gustafson currently ranks first in the GLIAC in field goal percentage (51.9), second in double-doubles (10), and third in blocked shots (25) and rebounds per game (9.4). Gustafson currently has 207 rebounds and needs 34 more to crack the top-10 single season at DU. She also is second in a season right now behind Jenna Falkenberg's 9.6 rebounds per game in 2018-19. 
● Scout Nelson currently sits in ninth place all-time at DU with 280 assists. This season, she has a team-leading 61 assists. In addition, Nelson is averaging 10.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in home games where the Panthers have a 6-5 record.
● The Panthers as a team have defended the three-point arc very well at home this season. The opponents are shooting just 28.6 percent compared to 32.8 percent for DU.

LIVE COVERAGE
Thursday, Feb. 9 vs. Northern Michigan (5:30 PM) - Live Video (FloSports) - Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 11 vs. #24 Michigan Tech (1:00 PM) - Live Video (FloSports) - Live Stats