SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. - It only took 416 days for Jarrin Randall to get back in a game and the redshirt senior made the most of it on Friday afternoon at Lake Superior State. With the game tied at 73-73 and just over two minutes left on the clock, Randall hit his third three-pointer of the game to put Davenport ahead, 76-73, a lead the Panthers wouldn't relinquish. The Lakers cut it to one, 76-75, but could never get any closer as an Evan Hines' free throw made it 77-75 in favor of the visitors before the final buzzer. DU and LSSU will go at it again on Saturday with a 1 p.m. tip-off.

Chris Rollins led all scorers with 27 points (5-of-9 3FG), one off his career high, to go with six rebounds, six assists and two steals while playing all 40 minutes. Rollins has now scored 20 or more points five times this season and 13 times in his career to give him 939 for his time at Davenport. The point guard's 2021 scoring average is up to 18.0, which is good for fifth in the GLIAC, just .4 points behind fourth place. Also scoring in double-figures for the Panthers on Friday were Elijah Belle with 12 and Brackton Miller with a personal-best 10 in his first career start.

Davenport scored the game's first seven points before LSSU answered with a 13-4 run of its own to take its first lead of the game, 13-11. Following a Rollins' triple and the second lead change of the day, the Panthers were able to push their advantage back to six, 21-15, but the Lakers wouldn't go away that easily. Another LSSU spurt, this time to the tune of 11-0, put the home team up five, 26-21, with just under nine minutes until halftime. The Lakers went on to lead by as many as 11, 39-28 and 42-31, before the halftime margin of eight, 42-34.

In the second half, LSSU led by 11 again at 50-39 before Davenport began to chip away. The Panthers clawed all the way back to get it knotted up at 62-62 with seven and a half minutes to go. The Lakers then made a trio of free throws to go back ahead by three, their final lead of the game. The game would be tied two more times, 66-66 and 73-73, before Randall's clutch trey.

The difference may have come in three-point shooting in the second half where Davenport was 6-for-12 and Lake Superior State missed all six of their looks from deep.

Story by: Cooper Weidenthaler