GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Entering Friday night's affair against Davenport, Michigan Tech boasted the best record in the GLIAC at 8-3 and an unblemished road mark of 5-0. The Panthers put a halt to both of those trends thanks in part to a 17-point first half lead (36-19 and 38-21) as well as a 12-point halftime advantage (38-26) before the final tally of 73-58. DU snapped a two-game skid in the all-time series with MTU, now leads it 4-3 and 15 points is the largest margin of victory by either team in the seven all-time meetings. These two teams will go at it again on Saturday with a 1 p.m. tip-off.

Scott Ulaneo (24 points) and Chris Rollins (20 points) poured in 44 of Davenport's 73 points and combined to shoot 16-of-23 from the field (69.6 percent). Two Panthers scored at least 20 points each in the same game for the first time this season. Ulaneo tied his career high in points and season high in rebounds (10) while securing his third career double-double in his first 25 minutes on the court. The 6-10 big man also finished with four assists and a steal while converting his first 10 field goal attempts (finished 10-of-13). Also scoring in double-figures for Davenport were Evan Hines with 15 (tied season high) and Jarrin Randall with 11 (season high). Rollins also had four dimes while he and Randall each notched a pair of steals.

Aside from a pair of first-half ties at 2-2 and 11-11, Davenport led the game throughout its entirety. Once it was 11-11, the Panthers reeled off a 21-5 run and were suddenly up by 16, 32-16, with just over five minutes left to play in the first half. In that span alone, the home team converted 7-of-10 field goal attempts, was 4-of-6 from deep and nine of those 32 points came off the right hand of Hines. Davenport shot a blistering 61.5 percent (16-of-26) in the first 20 minutes and went into the locker room up 12, 38-26. Out of the break, Michigan Tech cut the deficit to 10 twice, 41-31 and 43-33, but never any closer as Davenport led by as many as 19, 66-47 and 71-52, before the final 15-point difference.

Davenport dominated points in the paint to the tune of 34-16 while Michigan Tech went to the free throw line only four times (3-of-4), the fewest by a Panther opponent in over five years (Dec. 5, 2015 against Northwestern Ohio).

Story by: Cooper Weidenthaler