DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – A weight was lifted off the shoulders of the Loras Men's basketball team Wednesday night in the Athletic and Wellness Center as they hit pay dirt for the first time in conference play, defeating Simpson 78-66. The team was led by junior
Mirko Grcic who notched his sixth double-double of the season with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
For the first time in three games, the Duhawks (6-8) were not the first team to open the scoring. The Storm grabbed the early lead on a Cort Singleton layup 57 seconds into the game. Loras and Simpson traded baskets back and forth in the early goings until the 16:00 mark. The Duhawks opened a 15-6 run, spanning 8:52, running their lead to 22-13.
It appeared that a low scoring affair was in order as the Duhawk defense was holding strong and preventing any set offense the Storm tried to run.
However, the Duhawks were unable to stay out of foul trouble, putting Simpson in the bonus early in the first half. Unfortunately for the Storm, their inability to knock down free throws helped create separation between the teams. Simpson shot just 3-for-10 from the charity stripe in the first half, compared to Loras' 4-for-6.
The Storm tied the game at 24 with three and a half minutes left thanks to a series of fast break buckets following to long rebounds and Duhawk turnovers. From there, Loras went on a 13-2 run to close the half thanks to back-to-back threes by Justin VamWambeke and
Aaron Schueller, giving Loras a 37-26 advantage after the first half.
Coming out of the break, Schueller and the Duhawks remained hot as he opened the half with yet another 3-pointer, his third of the game to that point. The Duhawks pushed the envelope and created a lead of 17 with 12 minutes to play.
Despite their best efforts, the Storm were unable to shrink the gap to single digits, only coming as close as 11 on multiple occasions.
Grcic put the icing on the cake with 42 seconds to play, slamming down the alley-oop pass from sophomore
Domonique Criss for a Top 10-worthy dunk.
With the win, Loras improves to 6-8 and 1-2 in the Iowa Conference.
Game ChangerThe Duhawks defense forced the Storm to shoot 36 percent during the game as they went 21-of-58 from the filed on the night
Key StatAfter jumping out to an 11-point lead after the first half, Loras went on to shoot 71.43 percent from the floor in the second half, going 15-of-21
Notables- The Duhawks shot 50 percent from distance and 58 percent from the floor
- Junior Mirko Grcic logged his sixth double-double on the season with 22 points and 15 rebounds
- Junior Justin Schneider tallied a career high 10 points
- With the win, head coach Greg Gorton recorded his 100th win in Iowa Conference play
Quotable
Greg Gorton, head coach"Any time you're able to play at home and shoot high 50s from the field and hold a team to 35 percent on 19 makes, you're doing something right."
Up NextThe Duhawks will continue Iowa Conference play on Saturday against the Central College Dutch (9-5, 2-1). The Dutch are coming off a 67-59 win over Wartburg in Waverly, Iowa on Wednesday night. Last season, the two teams split their season series, with each team winning on their home court. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. in the Athletic & Wellness Center.
