TAMPA, Fla. — Davenport and Claflin treated the neutral site crowd to a tension-filled contest on Friday night in a narrow 102-99 double-overtime loss by DU at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center on the campus of the University of Tampa. This exciting game marked the first meeting between the two teams. Despite the defeat, Davenport recorded 28 assists and 48 points in the paint, while pushing Claflin to the limit.
The game began with a dream start for Davenport taking an early 12-0 lead, as
Ken Walker and
Aidan Moon hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the opening minute. Moon, who tied a career high with three steals, also achieved his second career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Dylan Smith added to the momentum with key defensive plays and layups, helping maintain the lead at 19-8 with 14:45 left in the half. Smith's performance was notable as he scored a career-high 27 points on an impressive 12-of-13 shooting.
However, Claflin responded with a series of buckets and forced turnovers on a full-court press with a 19-0 run, overtaking the Panthers by the 10:17 mark at 25-19. DU weathered the storm a bit down 26-25, but Claflin extended their lead to 39-27 with 1:34 left in the half. Smith scored at the horn with DU trailing 39-31. Neither team shot the ball well as Davenport was 3-of-14 from the arc and Claflin went 2-of-13.
Davenport trailed 48-36 in the second half before going on an 11-0 run to make it 48-47 at the 14:15 mark fueled by a pair of Walker three-pointers. Walker, who tied his career high with seven triples, had his second 30-point game of the season, scoring a season-high 31 points. The last 10 minutes of the second half saw neither team lead by more than four points. The game was tied at 76 with 2:07 remaining in regulation. Claflin took a 78-76 lead with 1:29 to play and Walker matched it at the 1:11 mark. Davenport played tough defense to deny Claflin a chance of winning in regulation.
Walker's late-game heroics were pivotal for the Panthers in the first overtime. The Panthers trailed 88-82 with just 53 seconds left when Walker connected on a triple with 47 seconds left and then sank a three-pointers from the top of the key with two seconds on the clock to force a second overtime.
Davenport never led in the second overtime, but fought back, narrowing Claflin's lead with a crucial 3-pointer from
Alden Ritt at 3:12, assisted by Walker to make it 93-91. Ritt, playing a career-high 46 minutes, also achieved a career-high with 11 assists.
Marshaun Flakes then tied the score with a layup at 2:42, following a steal by Ritt. With just six seconds remaining, Flakes scored a layup to bring Davenport within one, but Claflin secured the game with two free throws, concluding the game at 102–99 in favor of Claflin. This was Davenport's first overtime loss since 2/22/20 against Northern Michigan and their first double overtime game since 1/12/19 against Saginaw Valley State. Notably, DU had never played in back-to-back overtime games before tonight.
Davenport Top Performers
Ken Walker
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- 31 points
- 9/16 field goals made
- 7/11 3-pointers made
- 6/7 free throws made
Dylan Smith
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- 27 points
- 12/13 field goals made
- 3 blocks
- 7 rebounds
Marshaun Flakes
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- 17 points
- 3/6 3-pointers made
- 5 assists
- 6 rebounds
Alden Ritt
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- 11 points
- 11 assists
- 7 rebounds
- 3 steals
Aidan Moon
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- 11 points
- 4/4 field goals made
- 10 rebounds
- 3 steals
