GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Four games are left in the regular season for the Davenport men's basketball team as teams jockey for position and seeding in the upcoming GLIAC Tournament. The Panthers (13-11, 7-9 GLIAC) are currently in a three-way tie for sixth place with Purdue Northwest and Ferris State. This week, the team will travel on Thursday to Lake Superior State (14-11, 8-8 GLIAC) and Saturday to Saginaw Valley State (11-13, 5-11 GLIAC) for their final regular-season road games. The Panthers already have wins this season against those two opponents when GLIAC play started in December. DU defeated SVSU, 76-70, on Dec. 4 and LSSU, 99-94, in overtime on Dec. 6. Davenport is looking up at Wayne State and Lake Superior State who are one game ahead in a tie for fourth place. The next two weeks will be very interesting as seeds 4-8 could be any combination of teams.

Davenport ended a four-game skid last Saturday with an 81-59 victory over visiting Roosevelt to take the season series against the Lakers. After building a 35-25 halftime lead, the Panthers put things away in the second half by outscoring Roosevelt 46-34. The Panthers did a great job on the glass limiting the Lakers to two offensive rebounds and only three second-chance points. DU grabbed seven offensive boards and turned that into 10 second-chance points. Davenport held a 36-9 edge in bench points led by 13 from Curtis Jackson. Ken Walker led the team with 16 points in 34 minutes. He only took nine shots, which was the second-lowest total of the season behind the seven against Grace Christian on Dec. 15. Marshaun Flakes was the third Panther in double digits with 11 points and also grabbed five rebounds and recorded three steals. Bernie Varnesdeel got his first career start and played a season-high 19 minutes with a season-high four assists.

Jackson is leading the GLIAC in assists (114) and assists per game (5.0). He is currently eighth in a season at DU in total assists and tied for third in assists per game. Walker remains atop the GLIAC scoring list with 21.7 points per game. He is also ranked 10th in NCAA Division II in that category. Walker leads the GLIAC with 34:38 minutes played per game and free throw shooting percentage (91.4). He is fifth in NCAA Division II in free throw percentage and is on pace for the single-season school record (91.4). He is also second in three-point attempts (192) and third in three-point percentage (38.0) and total three-pointers made (73). As a team, DU ranks in the top three in the conference in field goal percentage defense (40.5, 3rd), defensive rebounds per game (27.7, 2nd), steals per game (7.8, 3rd), and turnovers forced per game (13.5, 3rd). For a single-season at DU, Walker's 521 points is 11th. He will crack the top-10 with his next made triple. His 21.7 points per game is currently third in a season at DU.

Scouting the Opponents
Lake Superior State (14-11, 8-8 GLIAC)
• There might not be a hotter team in the conference right now than Lake Superior State, who have won five of their last six games to propel them into a tie for fourth place in the league standings with Wayne State at 8-8. The Lakers have enjoyed playing inside Bud Cooper Gymnasium this season with a 9-3 record. They have a four-game home win streak, which includes a pair of wins last week against Saginaw Valley State (90-81) on Thursday and Ferris State (82-71) on Monday. LSSU led by 11 at halftime on Monday against the Bulldogs and played them even in the second half. The Lakers had 17 offensive rebounds turned into 23 second-chance points. Omar Suleiman led the team with 24 points and made four triples. Drew Hess added 18 points off the bench and canned six three's.

• The Lakers and Panthers played back on Dec. 6 in a high-scoring affair with DU pulling out the 99-94 win in overtime. LSSU made 10-of-35 from behind the arc and stayed in the game going 20-of-25 at the charity stripe. DU shot a season-high 56.6 percent from the floor, including 60 percent in the first half. The Panthers also had season-highs in free throw makes (30) and attempts (42). Ken Walker scored 30 points in 44 minutes. Curtis Jackson added 19 points and seven rebounds. Alden Ritt grabbed 14 boards and added 12 points.

Saginaw Valley State (11-13, 5-11 GLIAC)
• The Cardinals are fighting for the eighth and final spot in the upcoming GLIAC Tournament with four games left in the regular season. SVSU is tied with Parkside at 5-11 in ninth place and two games back of a group at 7-9 that includes Davenport, Purdue Northwest, and Ferris State. Saginaw Valley State has struggled to two wins in their last 10 games. They are even at 6-6 inside the James E. O'Neill, Jr. Arena this season. The Cardinals fell at LSSU last Thursday (90-81) and at home on Saturday to Ferris State (75-69). Five players scored in double figures at Lake Superior State led by 17 bench points from Xavier Thomas. Kevonne Taylor contributed 10 points, seven boards, and two blocks. Bryson Huckeby added 13 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting.

• In the first meeting between SVSU and DU back on Dec. 4, the Panthers built a 37-25 halftime lead before holding on for the 76-70 victory. Ken Walker poured in 25 points and added three assists. For the only time this season, two Panthers recorded a double-double. Alden Ritt had 14 points and 10 boards, while Imran Deen contributed 10 points and a season-high 13 boards, including eight on the offensive glass. Curtis Jackson recorded nine points and nine assists in 30 minutes. Xavier Thomas led all scorers with 27 points for the Cardinals.

Live Coverage
Thursday, Feb. 19 at Lake Superior State - 7:30 PM - Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. (Bud Cooper Gymnasium) - (Live Video - Live Stats)
Saturday, Feb. 21 at Saginaw Valley State - 3:00 PM - University Center, Mich. (James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena) - (Live Video - Live Stats)