DETROIT, Mich. — It seemed like a repeat for the Davenport men's basketball team as Wayne State got the season sweep over the Panthers with a 77-68 decision on Thursday night in the Motor City. In the first meeting on Jan. 10 in Grand Rapids, DU led 40-32 at halftime and the Warriors outscored them 48-26 in the second half for the 80-66 win. Tonight, the Panthers once again had a 35-31 halftime lead only to see Wayne State outscore them 46-33 in the second half for the nine-point win. Davenport slips to 12-9 overall and 6-7 in the GLIAC, while Wayne State is now 10-9 overall and 7-6 in the conference.
The game overall was very close with five ties and 14 lead changes. Both teams had their biggest scoring run of seven points. Davenport had their run in the first half at the 9:52 mark, while WSU managed theirs late in the game with 25 seconds to play. The Panthers had a decent advantage in points off turnovers 19-10, but the other specialty stats were close.
Davenport had their largest lead of the game at 19:17 of the second half as
Ken Walker buried a three-pointer and
Marshaun Flakes split at the free throw line. DU kept the lead until the 13:27 mark as Jordan Briggs scored on a fast-break layup. The game stayed at a one-possession tilt before the Warriors scored six straight points to take a 55-50 lead at the 8:55 mark after Briggs connected on a triple to give him 21 points.
The Warriors never led by more than three points over the next couple of minutes and led 65-62 heading into the final under-4 media timeout. Flakes gave DU a 66-65 lead on a layup with 2:21 left, but Wayne State would close out the game on a 12-2 run. Briggs had a three-point play and Jotham Nweke canned the big momentum shot on a corner triple with 56 seconds left for a 73-68 lead. The Panthers missed two three-pointers on their next possession and Briggs was fouled with 35 seconds to go. He made both free throws and then a turnover by DU led to more free throws by Carlos Paul III for the final tally of 77-68.
Davenport Top Performers
Ken Walker
- 25 points (8th 20-point game of the season)
- 5/10 three-pointers made
- 4 assists
Curtis Jackson
- 10 points
- 5 assists
- 2 steals
Dylan Smith
- 11 points
- 11 rebounds
- 3rd double-double of the season
Alden Ritt
- 11 points
- 6 rebounds
- 4/6 field goals made
