GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Davenport men's basketball team will be looking to get back into the win column after dropping their last three games when they host Parkside on Thursday, Feb. 12 and Roosevelt on Saturday, Feb. 14 at the DU Student Center. The Panthers are 8-2 at home this season and are jockeying for position in the GLIAC standings. Davenport is 6-8 in league action which is currently tied for fifth with Lake Superior State, Purdue Northwest, and Ferris State. The Panthers have already taken the first game this season on the road at Parkside and Roosevelt by double digits. The Rangers are 4-10 in the GLIAC, while the Lakers are 3-11. Those two teams need to make a push in order to qualify for the eight-team GLIAC Tournament.

Davenport had a halftime lead in both road games last week at Wayne State and Purdue Northwest, but could not close the deal. DU was 10-1 when leading at halftime before those two occasions. Wayne State closed out the final 2:21 on a 12-2 run to pull ahead for the 77-68 win. The Warriors shot 48.4 percent in the second half with six of their 15 field goals from behind the arc. They also went 10-of-11 at the free throw line in the second half. The Panthers shot 12-of-28 in both halves, but the telling stat was going 14-of-24 at the free throw line, including 7-of-14 in the second half.

The free throw line played another critical role in Saturday's 62-56 setback at Purdue Northwest. The Pride converted on 20-of-28 at the charity stripe, while Davenport finished 6-of-8. It was the second-fewest free throws shot in a game for DU this season and the largest margin (20) of attempts between DU and their opponent. DU led 29-24 at the break, but Purdue Northwest used a 20-8 run in the first eight minutes of the second half to turn the tide. Curtis Jackson led the team in scoring for the third time this season with 13 points and recorded three steals, and four assists. Aidan Moon had a season-high 12 points and grabbed six boards. The Pride shot just 15.4 percent from the arc for the game and were held to 34.5 percent shooting. 

Scouting the Opponents
Parkside (10-12, 4-10 GLIAC)
• The Rangers ended a five-game losing streak last Saturday with an 82-63 victory over Ferris State in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Parkside has some work to do to make the GLIAC Tournament. They are currently 10th at 4-10 and are trailing the eighth place teams by two games with six remaining. The win over the Bulldogs was a good start, but they will need to figure out how to win on the road. Parkside has nine home wins and just one road win, coming in the non-conference at Lewis. UWP played stout defense against Ferris State last time out holding them to 35.2 percent shooting, including 21.4 percent from the arc. Parkside shot 44.8 percent and were led by Paxton Warden with 22 points. Luka Mateski scored 17 off the bench and grabbed six rebounds.

• The Panthers won the previous meeting this season in Kenosha behind a strong defensive effort in the 68-54 triumph. Parkside shot 32.2 percent overall, including 5-of-29 from behind the arc. Mateski scored a team-high 19 points for UWP. Ken Walker played 38 minutes and dropped 28 points, including 6-of-12 from behind the arc. Dylan Smith added 13 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes. DU never trailed in the game.

Roosevelt (4-17, 3-11 GLIAC)
• The Lakers are coming off their first back-to-back wins of the season as they prevailed 80-70 last Thursday against Parkside and 95-87 versus Ferris State on Monday. Roosevelt filled it up from deep against UWP going 14-of-27. Mikey West went 6-of-12 and also had seven assists and seven rebounds in 39 minutes. Hamahrie Bowers turned in one of the best performances in the GLIAC this season with 19 points and 18 rebounds and was named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week. He had three steals as well against the Rangers. RU had a season-high 95 points against the Bulldogs and shot 48.6 percent from the floor. Kaleim Taylor led five players in double figures with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting. West added 16 points, five rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Bowers totaled 13 points, eight boards, and four steals.

• Davenport led for 36-plus minutes and cruised to a 78-60 win in Chicago in the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 22. DU built a 37-22 halftime lead by shooting 56.7 percent from the floor and limiting the Lakers to 29.6 percent. Walker scored 26 points in 28 minutes of action going 8-of-13 from the floor. Keane Hinkle established his season high with 12 points in 24 minutes off the bench. Curtis Jackson snagged 10 rebounds to lead the team. West led the Lakers with 23 points and went 13-of-13 at the charity stripe.

Live Coverage
Thursday, Feb. 12 - Parkside - 7:30 PM (Live Video - Live Stats)
Saturday, Feb. 14 - Roosevelt - 3:00 PM (Live Video - Live Stats)