Northern Michigan 47, Davenport 40 (Jan. 2)
Lillee Gustafson dropped a season-high 12 points to lead the way for the Davenport University women’s basketball team in a 47-40 loss to Northern Michigan on Thursday evening at the DU Student Center. Gustafson also grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds, marking her first double-double of the season.
Despite the loss, the Panthers (3-8, 1-2 GLIAC) shot a higher percentage from the field and from deep than the Wildcats (9-2, 3-0 GLIAC), holding NMU to shooting under 30 percent overall and 5.9 percent from beyond the arc.
Davenport opened the game on an 8-2 run, capped by a midrange jumper from the right elbow by Deyonce Thompson. However, NMU outscored DU 22-13 in the second quarter, taking a 31-26 lead into the half.
Midway through the third quarter, Isabel Lindo nailed a midrange jumper from the free throw line, cutting the DU deficit to three (30-27).
After falling behind by nine in the fourth quarter, the Panthers put together a 10-3 run capped by a three from Nevaeh Williams, trimming the NMU lead to two (42-40) with 1:54 remaining.
Williams ended with 10 points in the loss for the Panthers. Ellie Toney added seven points and 12 rebounds, while Lindo chipped in with six points, three rebounds and two assists for DU.
Michigan Tech 68, Davenport 60 (Jan. 4)
Junior Deyonce Thompson scored a season-high 17 points and provided a scoring spark off the bench in a 68-60 loss to Michigan Tech on Saturday afternoon at the DU Student Center. The nearby East Kentwood High School product has been limited to four games this season due to injury, but showed why she was a Division I transfer talent (Delaware State) against the Huskies. She was able to create her own shot to the tune of seven field goals, including three triples in just over 26 minutes of action. She also had four rebounds and one assist.
The Huskies came out ready to play and started the game on an 8-0 run to force a quick timeout by the Panthers. Lillee Gustafson got Davenport on the board at the free throw line making one of two attempts with 5:26 left in the opening quarter. The Panthers hung tough despite the slow start and trailed 15-9 after the first quarter. Michigan Tech grew the lead to 24-16 at 5:03 of the second quarter, but the Panthers kept lingering around and eventually tied the game at 26 after a Thompson driving layup with 1:18 until halftime. The Huskies went into halftime with a 28-27 lead and much like the first half, they stormed out in the second half with the first six points to lead 34-27. The Panthers again tied it up at 38 with 3:46 left in the quarter on a pull up jumper by Thompson.
Davenport would take a 49-47 lead after a Gustafson layup with 8:25 remaining in the final quarter. DU led 57-53 with 5:01 to play after a McCree three-pointer, but the Panthers would score just three more points for the rest of the game. Meanwhile, the Huskies would find their shooting touch when it mattered the most. Isabella Lenz nailed a three-pointer with 1:50 to go to put MTU ahead 61-57. After a turnover by the Panthers, Alyssa Wypych was fouled and made a pair of free throws. McCree again converted from behind the arc to make it 63-60 with 1:07 remaining, but Wypych made her one and only triple with 34 ticks left to seal the game.
Isabel Lindo scored 12 points for the Panthers to join Thompson in double figures. McCree finished with nine points, all on triples in the fourth quarter. Nevaeh Williams contributed eight points, four steals, four rebounds, and two assists. Davenport finished the game shooting 33.9 percent compared to 43.9 percent by the Huskies, including 61.5 percent (8-of-13) in the fourth quarter.
