GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Davenport men's basketball (5-2, 1-0 GLIAC) held off Saginaw Valley State (5-1, 0-1 GLIAC) with a 76-70 victory on Thursday night at the DU Student Center. This win marked the Panthers' first GLIAC opener victory since the 2021-22 season and matched their win total from the 2024-25 season. The Panthers secured the win with a balanced attack, including 30 points scored in the paint and a 44-38 advantage in total rebounds, leading for 37:29 of the 40 minutes of game action.
Davenport came out with energy and jumped ahead 8-0 to force a Cardinal timeout at the 17:06 mark. That lead would be maintained and increased to 20-9 at the 11:25 mark on a
Keane Hinkle three-pointer off a turnover. SVSU started to get back into the game late in the first half and trimmed the deficit to 26-23 with 5:12 left after a Triston Nichols three-pointer. The Panthers put their foot on the gas over the next three-plus minutes and increased their lead back up to 37-23 with 1:28 remaining in the half as
Ken Walker scored his 13th point of the half. Davenport led 37-25 at the break after shooting 40.5 percent with five triples.
The Panthers grew their lead to 19 points on three different occasions in the second half before Saginaw Valley State made a surge. DU was up 57-38 with 11:57 to play when the Cardinals went on a 20-5 run to make it 62-58 with 6:19 left in the contest. From there, Saginaw Valley State would eventually tie the game at 68 with 2:51 left on the clock. The Cardinals took a brief 70-68 lead before
Alden Ritt canned a three-pointer, his only one of the game, with 1:24 left. After a defensive stop, DU increased their lead to 73-70 on a Walker pull-up jumper in the paint with 42 ticks left. SVSU misfired on a three-pointer with 22 seconds remaining and Ritt secured the rebound. Ritt handed it off to Walker who was fouled and made a pair of free throws to ice it. SVSU missed another deep three and Ritt grabbed his 10th rebound and was fouled. He split two free throws with six seconds to go for the final of 76-70.
Davenport Top Performers
Ken Walker
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- 25 points
- 9/21 field goals made
- 4/11 three-pointers made
- 3 assists
Imran Deen
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- 10 points
- 13 rebounds
- 4 blocks
Alden Ritt
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- 14 points
- 6/10 field goals made
- 10 rebounds
Curtis Jackson
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- 9 points
- 7 assists
- 5 rebounds
Game Notes
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Alden Ritt recorded his fifth straight double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
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Imran Deen registered his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
- Deen set season highs in rebounds and blocked shots with four.
