BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – Saturday was a good day for the men's basketball team as they defeated the defending national champions, the Ferris State Bulldogs! Davenport went into the Jim Wink Arena and poured in 87 points against the Bulldogs on their home court. The win boosted the Panthers into sole possession of second place in the GLIAC standings. Sophomore Avery Hudson continues to knock on the door of having a triple double, he scored a career high 24 points, while snagging seven rebounds and dishing out seven assists. This also makes the first time that Davenport has beaten Ferris State in a regular season contest. The Panthers defeated FSU during the 2013-14 season 89-81 when DU was competing in the NAIA, but the contest was an exhibition.
 
THE BASICS
Final Score: Davenport-87 | Ferris State-72
Location: Big Rapids, Mich.


 
POINTS PER HALF
First Half: DU-38 | FSU-30
Second Half: DU-49 | FSU-42
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Panthers started the game in a near perfect way. Chris Rollins opened the scoring with a steal and layup in transition. The bucket ignited a 9-0 run by the Panthers, which included a three by Hudson in transition, a dunk in transition by Khadim Dieng, and a jumper by Janeau Joubert. The lead grew to double digits for the first time when junior Robbie Bramhill nailed a triple, his first of four in the game. Following the three, the Bulldogs made a significant run, scoring 10 unanswered points to tie it up at 22 a piece with 8:44 remaining in the half. The momentum then shifted the Panthers way as they scored 10 straight to go up 32-22. Four different players scored for Davenport during the run, including threes from Bramhill and Rollins. Ferris State strung a few baskets together, cutting the lead down to four. Davenport held their ground down the last three minutes of the half, outscoring Ferris State 6-2 to take a 38-30 lead at halftime. The first half went extremely quick, as only two free throws were attempted by either team.
 
The Bulldogs played inspired ball coming out of the locker room in the second stint of the game, scoring the opening five points of the half. The game seemed a toss up between the two teams for the opening seven minutes of the half. Momentum shifted the Panthers way with 12:51 remaining and stayed with DU the rest of the game. Hudson nailed a jumper to give Davenport a 54-48 lead. The Panthers proceeded to string 10 points together to build up a 14-point advantage. The DU defense held Ferris State scoreless 3:33 during the run, and Hudson/Bramhill combined for all 10 of the points. The lead got cut down to seven points a few times in the last 10 minutes of the game. The Ferris State head coach got hit with a double technical with 2:26 left in the game following on offensive foul call, putting Hudson to the line for four free throws. Hudson hit all four and increased the Panthers lead to 83-68. Davenport made 9/10 free throws in the final three minutes of the contest.
 
STAT LEADERS
Points: Hudson (24)
Rebounds: Hudson (7)
Assists: Hudson (7)
Steals: Joubert (5)
Blocks: N/A
 
COACHES CORNER
"Incredible week for our kids coming off a long Christmas break. Our energy and effort on defense was tremendous this week, causing 46 turnovers against two really good programs. I am super blessed to be part of a team that is sharing the ball and playing for each other. We've made huge strides in the last few weeks.
 
I am excited about our kid's willingness to be coached. Coming back from break we've just felt a sense of urgency from our kids to get better. GO PANTHERS!!" – Head Coach Burt Paddock
 
UP NEXT
Davenport will continue GLIAC play next week as school starts back up on campus. The Panthers will travel to Northwood for a contest on Thursday and then will host Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, inside the DU Student Center.
 
Story by: Devin Steiner
 
Picture credit: Hannah Paddock