GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Davenport men's basketball team took a week off of games last week for exams and after an eight-day hiatus will be chomping at the bit to get back on the court on Monday, Dec. 15 at 7:00 PM against Grace Christian at the DU Student Center. The Panthers will then welcome the University of Findlay on Saturday for a 1:00 PM contest. The team opened GLIAC play with a pair of wins over Saginaw Valley State (76-70) on Thursday, Dec. 4 and Lake Superior State (99-94 OT) on Saturday, Dec. 6 to improve to 4-0 at home this season.

Davenport won their first GLIAC opener since the 2021-22 season against the Cardinals. The Panthers secured the victory with a balanced attack, including 30 points scored in the paint and a 44-38 edge in total rebounds. DU led for 37:29 of the 40 minutes of game action, but the Cardinals came back down 19 points at one point to make things interesting. SVSU trailed 57-38 with 11:57 to play, but went on a 20-5 run to make it 62-58 with 6:19 left in the contest. The Cardinals would tie the game at 68 with 2:51 remaining and then hold a brief 70-68 lead. Alden Ritt nailed a clutch three-pointer in the corner, his only one of the game, with 1:24 left to regain the lead for DU. After a defensive stop, the Panthers turned to Ken Walker who buried a pull-up jumper with 42 ticks left for a 73-70 lead. SVSU misfired on a triple with 22 seconds left and Ritt secured the rebound. Walker iced the game with a pair of free throws.

Davenport trailed by a point at halftime against Lake Superior State 43-42. It was just the second time they trailed at half this season and it would be the first time they came back to win after an overtime 99-94 decision. The game was marred by 51 fouls and 67 free throws combined. DU connected on 30 free throws - third-most in program history - which proved crucial. Curtis Jackson delivered a career-high 19 points and went 13-of-17 at the line. The game featured 12 lead changes and 11 ties and DU went to overtime for the third time this season. LSSU led 76-66 with six minutes remaining before the Panthers mounted a comeback. Walker tied the game with 19 seconds left and the Lakers had one chance to win it, but missed a three-pointer at the buzzer. In overtime, Walker took over with back-to-back three's to put DU ahead for good. Walker finished with 30 points, his third such scoring game of the season. Ritt posted his sixth straight double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. He is now tied for the Division II lead in that category. The Panthers shot a season-high 56.6 percent from the field.

Scouting the Opponents
Grace Christian (6-8, 3-3 NCCAA)
• The Tigers are entering Monday's game with a four-game losing streak dating back to Nov. 25. They have been outscored 334-224 during the recent skid. Last time out was an 83-51 defeat against Spring Arbor on Dec. 12 in Wyoming on GCU's home court. The Tigers did have success on the offensive glass with 18 rebounds to match their 18 boards on defense. GCU was ice cold from the floor shooting 29.2 percent, including 6-of-25 from beyond the arc. The Tigers committed 22 turnovers and were outscored 32-9 in points off turnovers.

• Keontae Richards led the Tigers with nine points against SAU, but managed to go 3-of-16 from the floor. Richards leads the team this season with 16.9 points per game and also leads them with 40 assists and 26 steals. The senior from Muskegon Mona Shores H.S. failed to score in double figures for the first time this season against Spring Arbor. Brayden Gable and Isaac DeVisser are tied for the team lead with 5.5 rebounds per contest. Gable is shooting 51.4 percent from the floor to lead the squad and is second on the team with 14.2 points per game.

Findlay (8-2, 3-1 GMAC)
• The Oilers will present the toughest challenge to date for the Panthers as they are receiving votes in the most recent Division II national poll. The high-powered offense is averaging 93.9 points per game, which ranks second in their conference and 12th in Division II. They also capitalize on their opponents miscues ranking 11th nationally in steals per game at 11.9. The Oilers also do an excellent job at taking care of the ball and finding the open man. They are 14th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.55. 

• After a 103-98 loss to Walsh back on Dec. 11, the Oilers rebounded with a 93-81 home conference win over Northwood on Dec. 13. Findlay pounded the ball inside to the tune of 64 points in the paint. That stat counter-balanced them shooting just 4-of-23 from behind the arc. UF shot 83.3 percent (15-18) at the charity stripe and got 32 points from their bench against the Timberwolves. Mason Brandt led the squad with 16 points and notched a double-double with 11 rebounds. It was the first double-double of the season for the senior guard from Leipsic, Ohio. He is leading the team at 12.7 points per game this season on a balanced team that has seven guys averaging at least eight points per game. Jagger Landers is a sharp-shooting threat at 48.3 percent from the arc (14-29) and is averaging 8.6 points, while leading the team with eight blocks.

Live Coverage
Monday, Dec. 15 - Grace Christian - 7:00 PM (Live Video - Live Stats)
Saturday, Dec. 20 - Findlay - 1:00 PM (Live Video - Live Stats)

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