DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – The Loras Men's Basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season Tuesday night as they defeated Rockford University in the Athletic & Wellness Center. The game went back and forth until the Duhawks built a 16-point lead midway through the second half. Loras held off a late comeback attempt by the Regents, using 36 second half free throws to earn the 88-85 win.

Despite winning the tip, the Duhawks allowed the Regents to score the opening nine points to hold a 9-0 lead after five minutes of play.  Sophomore Justin VanWambeke ended Rockford's run with a jump shot in transition.

VanWambeke's jumper kick started the Duhawks offense.  Following his jumper and a miss by the Regents, junior Mirko Grcic passed the ball up court to sophomore Dominique Criss who made a layup with contact. Criss' momentum shifting layup was followed by four straight points by VanWambeke, capped by a fast break dunk after a quick pass by Criss. . With momentum shifting in favor of the Duhawks, sophomore Danny Quinn tracked down an offensive rebound. Quinn used a quick pump fake to elude a defender before putting up the layup. Quinn's hustle finished off a 13-2 run by Loras, giving them a two point lead, 13-11.

Momentum continued to build in favor of the Duhawks  as junior Justin Schneider dove to keep the ball inbounds on the offensive end before grabbing the steal on the ensuing defensive sequence.. After a slow start senior Aaron Schueller found his groove, tallying eight points in the final four minutes of the half to give Loras a 33-31 edge at the break. Rockford started the second half strong, converting an and-one to take a 34-33 lead on the opening possession. On the Duhawks first offensive set of the half, Schneider found junior Mirko Grcic for an open layup.   Just as he did in the first half, VanWambeke scored four straight to put Loras in front, 41-38.

After a trio of Loras fouls, Rockford responded with a three-pointer to level the score at 41. The Regents response was short-lived as an offensive rebound and put back by Grcic sparked another run by the Duhawks.

With just over ten minutes remaining in the game, senior Bobby Harmening took the outlet pass from Grcic and pushed the ball up court. Using his speed, Harmening took advantage of the poor positioning of the Regents defender and blew past him on his way to the rim. The transition basket put Loras ahead by six, their largest lead to that point and brought about a Rockford timeout.

Out of the timeout, the Regents began to chip away at the Duhawks lead. With momentum beginning to slip away from Loras, Rockford Head Coach Ryan Rebsom was awarded a technical foul. Schueller knocked down the ensuing free throws, turning the tides back in favor of the Duhawks.
 
Schueller's free throws were followed by seven straight points by Loras, extending their lead to 16 after a jump shot in the paint by junior Sean Bourke. A plethora of fouls landed Bourke back on the bench alongside Quinn, who had fouled out minutes prior.

With a smaller lineup on the court for Loras, the Regents used their size to cut the Duhawk lead to two with 34 seconds remaining. Free throws down the stretch kept Loras in front before a last second three-point attempt by the Regents was blocked by Criss, sealing the 88-85 victory for Loras.