HOUGHTON, Mich. - The third game between Davenport and Michigan Tech in men's basketball this season hinged on a couple of key swings as the No. 15 Huskies knocked the Panthers out of the GLIAC Tournament with a 72-70 quarterfinal win on Wednesday at the SDC Gymnasium. The seventh-seeded Panthers gave a great effort against the second-seeded Huskies, but in the end just could not make shots at times later in the second half. The home team got the whistle more often in their favor and the free-throw line was crucial. Davenport committed 26 fouls compared to 15 for MTU and the Huskies went 25-of-33 at the line including 20-of-23 in the second half. DU had a great percentage going 16-of-19.
The Davenport defense limited the Huskies to just 3-of-25 from the beyond the arc. The 12 percent total was the lowest for an opponent against the Panthers this season. The Huskies also shot 37.9 percent from the floor. Davenport fared better from deep going 6-of-19 (31.6) and overall they shot 42.9 percent for the game.
The game featured eight lead changes and two ties. Davenport's largest lead was three points at the 15:52 mark of the second half, while Michigan Tech led by as many as 10 points with 9:57 left in the first half. MTU opened the game with the first five points, but then it was a one-possession game until the 12:13 mark when the Huskies went ahead 13-8 on a Marcus Tomashek jump shot. The Huskies led 22-12 at the 9:02 mark and kept that lead into halftime, but DU trimmed it to 31-28.
Davenport took the lead at 32-31 with four points to start the second half as
Ken Walker gave them the advantage on a jumper. The lead changed hands a few times and DU led by three points on three different occasions. The Huskies came out of the under-12 minute media timeout and extended their lead to 53-45 as Dawson Nordgaard made a layup. The Panthers hit a cold stretch which changed the game. They were stuck on 45 points for 4:26 ended with 8:02 remaining and could not regain the lead.
DU had two chances to tie or take the lead down 53-51, but could not convert. They were also stuck on 53 points for 2:58 which ended at the 2:21 mark, but they were down 62-54. DU had one last chance down just three at 62-59 after a steal by
Dylan Smith and a layup by
Aidan Moon. The Huskies scored the next five points as Nordgaard made two free throws and Josh Terrian made a killer three in the corner for a 67-59 lead with 36 seconds left.
Curtis Jackson was fouled and made all three free throws with 26 seconds left and then he hit a triple at the buzzer for the final tally of 72-70.
Jackson tied his career high with 23 points and four steals. He scored 23 points twice this season against the Huskies. He also scored 20 or more points in four of his final five games of the season. He led the team in scoring seven times this season. Walker finished with 16 points and four rebounds. He scored in double figures in 25 of his 27 games this season.
Marshaun Flakes added 11 points and five boards off the bench in 24-plus minutes. It was the fifth time in double-figure scoring this season for Flakes.
The Panthers finish the season with an overall record of 14-15. They did have several single-season, top-10 school records in 2025-26.
Walker had 596 points (5th), 21.3 points per game (3rd), 79 three-pointers made (tied 4th), and 127 free throws made (6th).
Jackson had 149 assists (4th).
Imran Deen had 34 blocked shots (tied 6th).
