GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Davenport men's basketball team will begin a challenging four-game road trip in the heart of the GLIAC schedule beginning with a pair of games against West Michigan foes in Grand Valley State and Ferris State. The Panthers will visit the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7:30 pm following the women's game. Two days later it will be a trip to Big Rapids at Jim Wink Arena for a Saturday matinee at 3:00 pm. The Lakers are occupying the third spot in the GLIAC standings, while the Bulldogs and Panthers are both 3-3 in a logjam of five teams. Ken Walker highlighted last Thursday's 77-74 win over Purdue Northwest. He scored 38 points to set a record for points scored by a DU player inside the DU Student Center. Curtis Jackson also made some history with 12 assists, which was his career high and also the most by a Panther since the transition into NCAA Division II. The Panthers led 23-3 in the first half, but the Pride stormed back to take a 34-33 lead into halftime. In a tight second half, Davenport made the necessary plays to pull out the three-point victory. Dylan Smith finished with 19 points and was 5-of-7 from the floor, while making a season-high nine free throws. Aidan Moon finished with nine points and five rebounds in 36-plus minutes.

Davenport suffered their first home loss of the season on Saturday against Wayne State, 80-66. It was looking good through 20 minutes as DU led 40-32 behind 51.6 percent shooting from the floor, including 7-of-14 from behind the arc. Unfortunately, the Panthers would not make another three the rest of the game going 0-of-11 in the second half. They shot just 25 percent in the final 20 minutes and were outscored 48-26. The Warriors lit it up in the second half shooting 54.5 percent, including 6-of-9 from deep and 18-of-20 at the free throw line. Walker led Davenport with 15 points. Alden Ritt scored 14 points and also had three steals and two blocks in 33-plus minutes. Jackson dished out eight assists and recorded two steals to go with his 12 points in 40 minutes. Jotham Nweke posted a double-double for the Warriors with 13 points and 14 rebounds. The WSU bench held a 34-13 edge in points off the bench.

Scouting the Opponents
Grand Valley State (11-3, 4-2 GLIAC)
• The Lakers are off to one of their best starts in recent memory at 11-3 overall and 4-2 in the GLIAC, good for third place. GVSU has posted a record of 5-2 at home this season, including a pair of wins last week against Wayne State (81-72) on Thursday and Purdue Northwest (76-54) on Saturday. The Lakers had a balanced attack of five players in double figures on Thursday. David Wilkerson came off the bench to lead the team with 17 points and dished out four assists. Ethan Alderink contributed 15 points and tied the team high with seven rebounds. Shamus Thompson was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week after seven rebounds, one block, and one steal against WSU and then he had 11 points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks against Purdue Northwest on Saturday.

• The Panthers are hoping to reverse their fortune after seven straight setbacks against the Lakers. GVSU has a scoring margin average of 12.3 points in those last seven games. The last win for Davenport came on Jan. 25, 2022 (87-72) in Allendale. In the last meeting, Alden Ritt scored 13 points and connected on 3-of-5 from the arc in the 67-54 decision in Allendale on Feb. 25, 2025. Thompson had 10 rebounds and two steals for the Lakers.

Ferris State (6-7, 3-3 GLIAC)
• The Bulldogs have entered a new era of basketball after previous head coach Andy Bronkema took the same job at Central Michigan after the 2024-25 season. The team is under interim head coach Alex Fodness and trying to find their identity at 6-7 overall and 3-3 in the conference.  The Bulldogs started the season with three straight losses before a 102-55 victory over Kuyper on Nov. 26. They did piece together three straight wins against Grace Christian (110-74), Roosevelt (82-68), and Parkside (74-72) before the U.P. trip and losses against Michigan Tech (81-72) and Northern Michigan (95-66).

• Ferris State has won the last six meetings between the schools, including a 67-56 win in Grand Rapids back on Feb. 6, 2025. Current Bulldogs and DU transfer Joey Cabana scored 10 points for the Panthers. Dylan Smith had nine points and six rebounds in 27 minutes. Ethan Erickson led FSU with 21 points to go with five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 32 minutes. The Bulldogs currently have four players averaging double figures in scoring led by Tyler Hamilton's 12.9 points per game. Donovan Brown-Boyd is right on his heels at 12.3 points. Mykel Bingham is scoring at a clip of 11.7 points and is shooting 53.9 percent from the floor. Chang Hoth is averaging 10.8 points and shooting 80 percent at the charity stripe.

Live Coverage
Thursday, Jan. 15 at Grand Valley State - 7:30 PM - Allendale, Mich. (Live Stats - Live Video)
Saturday, Jan. 17 at Ferris State - 3:00 PM - Big Rapids, Mich. (Live Stats - Live Video)