GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Davenport (2-1) defeated Kuyper College (3-4) in their home opener with a decisive 93-52 victory at the DU Student Center on Tuesday night. Davenport's defense was dominant, recording 15 steals and eight blocks, leading to 26 points off turnovers.
Davenport never trailed in the contest and scored the first five points of the contest. The Panthers opened up their first double-digit lead at 20-9 with 12:27 left in the first half as
Ken Walker scored on a fast-break layup to give him six early points. The lead ballooned to 29-11 at the 10:36 mark as
Imran Deen had a highlight reel dunk with an assist from
Curtis Jackson. The game was never in doubt as the Panthers built a 20-point lead and led by as many as 30 points (51-21) in the first half.
Kuyper shot 32.3 percent in the first half compared to 47.6 percent by the Panthers. Walker scored 13 points in 14:54 of game action and also had three assists in the half. The Panthers were able to utilize their entire active roster in this one and led by as many as 46 points (80-34) with 8:51 left in the game after a
Zavion McClendon three-pointer in transition.
Sangolay Njie scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half going 6-of-8 from the floor. McClendon scored 12 points in 11:19 of game action in the half. DU shot 47.2 percent in the half, including 5-of-15 from behind the arc.
Bernie Varnesdeel,
Marshaun Flakes, and
Myron Brewer each saw their first action of the season. Varnesdeel played 10:48 and finished with one assist, one steal, and one rebound. Flakes scored four points and grabbed four rebounds. Brewer played 7:28 and had two assists and a blocked shot. Davenport scored 50 of their 93 points in the paint.
Dylan Smith and
Alden Ritt each had a team-high 11 rebounds. Ritt had his first career double-double with 10 points and also blocked three shots. Njie led the Panthers with 20 points and also had three rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
Davenport Top Performers
Zavion McClendon
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- 14 points
- 4/6 three-pointers made
- 1 steal
Curtis Jackson
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- 7 points
- 6 assists
- 6 rebounds
- 2 steals
Alden Ritt
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- 10 points
- 11 rebounds
- 3 blocks
Ken Walker
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- 15 points
- 6/12 field goals made
- 4 assists
Sangolay Njie
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- 20 points
- 3/3 free throws made
- 8/13 field goals made
Looking ahead, Davenport will host Tiffin on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 3 p.m. in non-conference action.
