ROCKFORD, Ill. (Duhawks.com) – The Loras men's basketball team dropped to 2-2 on the year with a loss to Rockford on Tuesday night by a final score of 72-61. Four Duhawks found themselves reach in the double-digits in points with junior Justin VanWambeke finishing with 16 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the floor. Loras was held to 8-of-34 shooting, which in the end was their achilles' heal.

TURNING POINT
Loras fell flat in the second half, allowing Rockford (3-1) to outscore the Duhawks by a 37-22 margin. After leading 52-50 in the early goings of the second half the Regents strung the Duhawks out on a 22-11 run to finish the game.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Loras started quick against Rockford as opposed to their previous three games which saw them fall into early deficits. The Duhawks mounted a 6-0 lead in the first minute of action and forced poor shots by the Regents on the defensive end. Freshman Ryan DiCanio played well to start the game, rattling off 10 points in the first half of action. Senior Mirko Grcic capped off the Duhawks largest lead of the game with a dunk to put his team up by 12. Things started to fall apart for the Duhawks from then on however. A once-commanding lead was quickly decimated and Loras led by just four at halftime. Most of the Duhawks first half success came from their post play, with Grcic scoring 12 points on 6-of-15 shooting.

Second Half
Poor second half shooting plagued Loras, but foul trouble and Rockford's conversion of second chance points ultimately led to the Duhawks demise. As a team, Loras shot 23 percent from the floor, including 0-of-12 from beyond the arc. Despite holding Rockford in check from deep, the Duhawks allowed the Regents to earn eight free points at the charity stripe and collect 16 points off of Duhawk turnovers. Defensively, Rockford buckled down on their low post defense holding Grcic to a single second half point, and Loras forwards as a whole, to five points. The Regents emphasis on low post defense resulted in seven blocked shots.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Justin VanWambeke | VanWambeke was the lone bright spot in the second half, scoring 12 of his 16 points in his final 16 minutes of play. The Machesney Park native added five rebounds, four assists and three steals to round out his night.

UP NEXT
Following a three-game road trip, Loras hits the hardwood on Saturday to face Eureka College (1-4) at home. This season Eureka's lone win came against Dubuque's own Emmaus Bible by a final score of 100-75. Sam Feehan leads the Red Devils, averaging 16.8 points per game on 39 percent shooting.