MIDLAND, Mich. – Davenport took to the road for another GLIAC contest on this brisk and cold Thursday in early January. The Panthers had three players score 20 points or more, creating an offensive presence that the Timberwolves couldn't handle. Davenport scored 90 points, their fourth straight game scoring more than 80 points, and held Northwood to only 72 to earn the win. The win marks the Panthers third straight GLIAC victory and puts them only one game behind Ashland for first place overall in the conference.
 
THE BASICS
Final Score: Davenport-90 | Northwood-72
Location: Midland, Mich.


 
POINTS PER HALF
First Half: DU-44 NU-31
Second Half: DU-46 | NU-41
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers had a slow start to the game, recording six turnovers and missing three layups. The Timberwolves jumped out to an 8-2 lead after taking advantage of Davenport's early mistakes. Davenport quickly turned the ship around and went on a 11-5 run to tie the ball game up at 13-13 with 11:07 to play in the half. After settling down and making better decisions with the basketball, Davenport started building their lead. Davenport went up five points following a three by Janeau Joubert, one of three players to score 20 or more points in the game for DU. After a couple more minutes of play the Panthers went on a 10-point run to take a 41-29 advantage. With just under one minute to go in the half Avery Hudson received an outlet and dribbled up the right side of the court, he proceeded to dribble between his leg and immediately stepped back to hit a fade away three on the right wing. On the final possession of the half, Joubert took matters into his own hands after a set broke down. He drove his defender, stopped on a dime and stepped back to hit a three with just seconds left on the clock, giving Davenport a 13-point lead heading into halftime.
 
The second half saw the Timberwolves start to heat up from the floor, but the lead didn't alter much for a majority of the half. Davenport seemed to have an answer offensively every time Northwood scored a basket, negating an opportunity to cut the lead to one or two possessions. Dyllon Hudson-Emory was wheeling and dealing in the post the entire night. With just over 10 minutes to go in the game he scored on the exact same move on back to back possessions, taking a power dribble to the middle of the paint and hitting a baby hook with his right hand. Northwood finally found a break in the Panthers scoring and took advantage, going on a 10-4 run to cut DU's lead down to six points with 5:57 remaining. Sophomore sensation Hudson silenced the entire crowd inside the Riepma Arena when he drilled two consecutive NBA range threes to give Davenport a 12-point cushion. Head Coach Burt Paddock quickly called a 30-second timeout after the second Hudson three. Coming out of the timeout, Davenport increased their lead even more when junior Robbie Bramhill hit a three, assisted by Joubert, to give DU a sound 15-point lead. The lead never dropped below 13 points for the remainder of the game and Davenport's perfection from the free throw line had a major part to do with that. The Panthers finished the contest a perfect 19/19 from the free throw line as a team. This is the third time in program history that Davenport shot 100% from the charity stripe for a game and is tied for the most free throws made while not missing.
 
STAT LEADERS
Points: Hudson-Emory (23)
Rebounds: Bramhill (7)
Assists: Joubert (7)
Steals: Chris Rollins/Joubert (2)
Blocks: Hudson-Emory (2)
 
UP NEXT
The Panthers return to the DU Student Center this Saturday, hosting Saginaw Valley State. The contest will start 30 minutes following the ending of the women's game. This will be the first time this season that Davenport and Saginaw Valley State play.
 
Story by: Devin Steiner
 
Picture credit: Hannah Paddock