SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Box Score) Davenport (Mich.) remained unbeaten by steamrolling Clarke (Iowa), 78-48, in a first-round game at the 2015 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship, presented by State Farm, on Wednesday afternoon. The matchup featured the 2011 and 2013 national runner-up Panthers against a Crusader program making its first-ever appearance on the national stage.

Head coach Mike Williams’ Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference champions moved to 32-0. Meanwhile, head coach Don Adams’ Midwest Collegiate Conference tournament champions ended their season with an overall mark of 20-13.

One of the nation’s top defensive teams, the Panthers smothered Clarke, holding the eighth-seed to 26.9 percent (14-for-52) shooting from the field and 15.4 percent (2-for-13) from 3-point range. Davenport, which entered the contest ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring defense (48.1), got another big performance from 6-foot-3 senior center Daina Grazulis. She posted 16 points and eight rebounds and made 8 of 10 shots from the field.

With the game well in hand in the second half, Davenport used all 14 players. Each of them registered in the scoring column. Linnea Brandholm posted 12 points to join Grazulis in double figures. As a team, the Panthers shot 49.1 percent (27-for-55) from the field.

Clarke, which made in an impressive run through the conference tournament as the MCC’s No. 4 seed, was topped by Breland Prochaska’s 14 points. The Davenport bench outscored the Crusader reserves by a count of 38-13.

Four different Panthers scored during a 10-2 run to begin the contest. Davenport never looked back and led by as many as 31 points in a blowout win that has become the norm. The Panthers rank No. 1 among all NAIA Division II teams in scoring margin (32.6).

Davenport, now 17-10 all-time at the national championship, advances to play fifth-seeded Briar Cliff (24-9) at 10:15 a.m. CDT on Friday. The Panthers have gone at least as far as the national semifinals in three of the past four seasons.