GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Davenport men's basketball (1-0) defeated Kuyper (1-5) 86-54 on Monday, using an 11-0 first-half run to push a five-point lead (22-17) to 16 (33-17) at the 10:24 mark. Davenport turned 23 Cougars' turnovers into 29 points and held a 58-22 edge in points in the paint. The Cougars never had a lead in the game and the Panthers led for 38:44 of game play.
Davenport created separation with two first-half runs, using a nine-point burst to move from a 13-11 edge to 22-11 and later an 11-0 stretch to go from 22-17 to 33-17. The Panthers paired that scoring with pressure defense, forcing 14 Cougars turnovers and turning them into 20 points. Davenport shot 21-of-35 from the field and closed the half ahead 50-28. DU was red hot in the first half shooting 60 percent from the floor, including 6-of-10 from the arc.
Davenport's key second-half stretch was a 10-0 run from 7:28 to 4:02 that moved the score from 67-44 to 77-44 while the Cougars went eight possessions without scoring.
Torey Baskin scored twice during the run, with
Imran Deen and
Bryce Coleman also finishing inside as Davenport produced 28 paint points in the half. Davenport closed out an 86-54 win. The Panthers shot 54.4 percent from the floor, including 8-of-18 from the arc. DU also had a 16-1 edge in fast-break points.
Marshaun Flakes scored a team-high 11 points and added three assists, two steals and a block.
Karter Seawright finished with eight points, 10 rebounds and three steals.
Curtis Jackson posted eight points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Carson Piering collected four steals and added three points. 12 different Panthers scored as Baskin scored 10 points off the bench on 5-of-7 shooting. Deen would finish with eight points and six rebounds and blocked one of DU's four team rejections on the night.
Brock Heffner needed just over 13 minutes to finish with 10 points, three assists, and a steal.
Up next, Davenport hosts Rockhurst (1-0) on Friday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m. at John Friend Court in Hammond, Ind. in the GLIAC/GLVC Crossover.
