GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The calendar turns to February and the Davenport men's basketball team has put themselves in a solid position within the GLIAC standings with eight regular-season games left to play. Davenport is currently 12-8 overall and 6-6 in the conference. This week, the Panthers will travel to the Motor City to face Wayne State on Thursday and then make the trip to Purdue Northwest on Saturday. It is a week where the Panthers could start to separate themselves from a log-jam in the league standings. Currently, six teams are within one game of each other at either 6-6 or 5-7.

The Panthers got their biggest win of the NCAA Division II era last Thursday with a 72-69 victory over then No. 6 Michigan Tech. They played perhaps their best half of basketball this season in the first 20 minutes to take a 43-25 halftime lead. The Huskies mounted a second-half comeback from down 68-52 with 4:19 to play and used a 17-0 run to take a 69-68 lead with 43 seconds to play. Davenport got the ball to GLIAC-leading scorer Ken Walker, and just like he's done all year, made a clutch jumper with 19 seconds left for a 70-69 lead. After a missed three-pointer by Tech, Curtis Jackson nailed a pair of free throws to seal the win with seven seconds remaining. Walker scored 24 points and played all 40 minutes. Jackson was phenomenal with 19 points, and a team-high eight rebounds and four steals. Marshaun Flakes scored in double figures for the third time this season with 11 points.

On Saturday against then No. 10 Northern Michigan, the Panthers went toe-to-toe with the Wildcats up until the final 7:16 of the contest. NMU turned a 58-56 lead into a 77-63 triumph by going on a 19-7 run to close it out. The first half had seven ties and nine lead changes. Walker again played all 40 minutes and finished with 24 points. He ended the game with exactly 1,500 career points. Walker scored 1,054 points in his first two seasons at Earlham College and has added 446 points as a Panther this season. He is averaging 21.4 points in his career with a scoring breakdown of 541 field goals (174 3's) and 244 free throws. DU took great care of the ball against Northern Michigan with just six turnovers, while also sharing it well with 16 assists.

During the month of January, Davenport averaged 67.6 points per game with Walker averaging 21.4 to equate to 31.7 oercent of the team's offense. Jackson also had a very good month averaging 11.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. No other Panther had more than 16 assists in the month compared to Jackson's 63. The team will want to increase their free throw percentage in order to remain a threat for the upper tier come the end of February. They shot 64.3 percent (119-of-185), while their opponents took the same amount of free throws and shot 80.5 percent (149-of-185).

Scouting the Opponents
Wayne State (9-9, 6-6 GLIAC)
• The Warriors and the Panthers are in a three-way tie for fourth place in the GLIAC standings alongside Ferris State. Thursday's contest holds added importance in a possible tiebreaker scenario down the road since Wayne State won the first meeting in Grand Rapids back on Jan. 10 (80-66). DU had an eight-point lead at halftime and just couldn't buy a basket in the second half. The Panthers shot 25 percent in the half (8-of-32) and were 0-of-11 from behind the arc. Ken Walker led the team with 15 points, but had one of his lower shooting percentage games of the season (6-of-17). WSU had five players score in double figures led by Jordan Briggs with 18 points. The Warriors got to the foul line frequently finishing 25-of-30.

• The Warriors have had the Panthers' number as of late with four straight wins. WSU is winning by an average of 12 points in those wins. The Warriors are 6-3 at home this season, having won their last three home contests. Last time out, Wayne State defeated Ferris State, 75-73, in Big Rapids on Jan. 31. Jotham Nweke led the team with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Briggs and Jalen Jenkins each had six assists and just two turnovers between them.

Purdue Northwest (9-10, 5-7 GLIAC)
• The Pride enter this week on a high note with two road wins last week. They are in a three-way tie for seventh place in the GLIAC standings with Saginaw Valley State and Lake Superior State at 5-7. The top eight teams will qualify for the GLIAC Tournament in March. Purdue Northwest beat Wayne State, 73-60, last Thursday in Detroit and followed that with a 76-71 victory on Monday over Ferris State in Big Rapids. The Pride trailed 43-35 at halftime against the Bulldogs, but outscored them 41-28 in the second half. Kyle Ross had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds. It was his eighth of the season and he leads the GLIAC in that category. Ross also leads the GLIAC with a 57.6 field goal percentage. Garrett Clark added 13 points, eight rebounds, and two steals in 35 minutes.

• Davenport snapped a three-game skid against the Pride earlier this season with a 77-74 win at the DU Student Center on Jan. 8. DU built a 23-3 lead in the first half, but Purdue Northwest staged a furious comeback to take a 30-29 lead just before halftime. Walker hit a tough jumper with 53 seconds left to give DU a 72-70 lead. Dylan Smith followed with a pair of clutch free throws and Alden Ritt also connected on two freebies to stretch the lead. Curtis Jackson had 12 assists and eight rebounds. Walker scored a season-high 38 points and connected on 7-of-12 from behind the arc.

Live Coverage
Thursday, Feb. 5 - Wayne State (Detroit, Mich.) - 7:30 PM - (Live Video - Live Stats)
Saturday, Feb. 7 - Purdue Northwest (Westville, Ind.) - 4:00 PM - (Live Video - Live Stats)