GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Davenport men's basketball team opened up the 2025-26 season on the road last weekend and came back with a 1-1 record. The Panthers dropped the season opener versus Rockhurst (82-72) on Friday and then rebounded with a 63-55 win at William Jewell on Saturday. There were some significant bright spots that came out of the opening weekend. The addition of junior guard Ken Walker proved to be lightning in a bottle as he was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring a combined 49 points, including 30 in the opener against Rockhurst. Walker also went a perfect 13-of-13 at the free-throw line and contributed eight assists and seven steals. Walker is leading the GLIAC with 24.5 points per game and that number is also top-20 in NCAA Division II.

Sophomore Dylan Smith hit the defensive glass with authority with 17 of his 19 rebounds coming on that end of the floor. He averaged 9.5 rebounds and 7.5 points over the weekend. Junior Imran Deen provided a spark off the bench with his ability to block and alter shots. Deen swatted three shots against Rockhurst in the opener and he also scored 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting with nine rebounds in 30 total minutes. Graduate student Jermaine Taggart also was a scoring threat off the bench in a total of 32 minutes. She shot 6-of-11 from the floor and totaled 16 points.

The key statistic that surfaced over the first two games was the ability to convert at the free-throw stripe. Davenport went 28-of-36 (77.8) for the weekend, which was a big improvement over last year's 59.8 percent clip as a team. The team defense was also noticeable as Rockhurst and William Jewell combined to shoot 36.5 percent from the floor and just 22.2 percent from the arc.

Scouting the Opponents
Kuyper
• The Cougars have already played seven games this season with three coming in their NCCAA affiliation. They have defeated Oak Hills Christian (97-90), Free Lutheran Bible (106-54), and Grace Christian (80-71). The Cougars last played on November 14 at home against NAIA Judson University and fell 75-67. Judson shot 42.4 percent from the floor and 68 percent at the free throw line. Kuyper shot 38.1 percent from the floor and 52.6 percent at the charity stripe. Latrell Jennings led all scorers with 23 points for the Cougars on 9-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-8 from behind the arc. Austin Stone chipped in 17 points and seven rebounds in 32 minutes of action.

• Through seven games, Kuyper and their opponents each have scored exactly 550 points. The Cougars have been tough on the glass with a plus 10.1 rebounding margin. Sam Dillard is leading the team with 18.6 points per game and connecting on 51.6 percent from the floor, including 41.7 percent from behind the arc. Joe Iung is leading the team with 7.5 rebounds per game and 4.5 of those have come on the offensive window. Nick Moore is leading the team with 4.0 assists per game.

Tiffin
• The Dragons are looking to reverse their fortunes after a 7-21 campaign last season under first-year head coach Desmond Balentine. Tiffin was selected 12th in the G-MAC Preseason Coaches Poll.

• The Dragons began play last weekend with a pair of games in the G-MAC/GLVC Crossover in Tiffin. They fell 63-44 against McKendree on Friday and then rebounded with a 77-59 win over Lewis on Saturday. TU shot 34.1 percent against McKendree and went cold from deep going 4-of-21. Jonah Nesmith led the Dragons with nine points. Saturday was a much different story as Tiffin shot 51 percent from the floor, including 9-of-20 from the arc and 16-of-18 at the free throw stripe. Nesmith led the team with 18 points, while TJ Pangonas added 14 points, including 4-of-5 from deep. Demar Burton contributed 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

• KJ Pruitt leads the team with 4.5 assists through the first two games and also has six rebounds per contest. Burton, D'Monyae Davis, and Pangonas are each averaging 8.5 points per game.

LIVE COVERAGE
Tickets
Tuesday, Nov. 18 - 7:00 PM vs. Kuyper (Live Video - Live Stats)
Saturday, Nov. 22 - 3:00 PM vs. Tiffin (Live Video - Live Stats)