DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - With their backs to the wall on the hunt for a berth in the postseason, the Loras Men's Basketball team welcomed Luther College to the Athletic & Wellness Center. In a strong defensive showing, the Duhawks held the Norse to just 32 percent shooting from the floor on the night. Senior Nathaniel Smith lifted the team up on the offensive end, recording a career-high 34 points.

The first three baskets of the game were sunk from beyond the arc. Half of Luther's shots on the evening came from distance. Jake Martin came into the game averaging the third highest points per game in Iowa Conference play with 17.0 points. Being guarded by Junior Mirko Grcic, Martin was held to only three points in the first half, shooting 1-of-7 from the field.

The Duhawks held only a one-point lead heading into halftime at 31-30. The margin could have been much greater if the Norse had not sunk six 3-pointers in the half from Christian Wright  and Cale Austin. Those six 3-pointers accounted for two-thirds of the team's nine baskets in the first half.

Nathaniel Smith had 15 of the teams 31 points at the break. He continued that trend into the second half.

Isolating Smith in the post as well as on the wing for drives, he capitalized scoring a significant of his points in the paint. Smith shot only three long distance shots on the night and finished 8-for-8 from the free-throw line on the night, including four down the stretch to seal the victory for the Duhawks.

Loras pulled away in the second half thanks to defensive stands wearing down the majority of the Norse shot clock, getting a hold of the missed shot and running off the rebound. The up-tempo style benefitted the Duhawks and led to easy and open buckets.

The largest lead of the game came with five minutes remaining and the Duhawks holding an eight-point advantage. From there, Loras finished out the game 7-of-8 from the free-throw line to put an end their four-game losing streak.
 
Game Changer
Senior Nathaniel Smith recorded a career-high 34 points as well as adding two assists, accounting for over half of the Duhawk scoring
 
Key Stat
The Duhawks had their greatest performance on the season in terms of defensive shooting percentage, holding the Norse to just 32 percent on the night
 
Notables

• Nathaniel Smith recorded a career high 34 points on the night.
• Loras tied a season-best with only turning the ball over eight times.
• The Duhawks held a 30-10 advantage in points in the paint over Luther.

 
Quotable
Nathaniel Smith, senior guard
"It's one game closer for us to being where we want to be in the conference tournament. We can enjoy this one for tonight, but come tomorrow we know we've got Coe on Saturday and they're second or third in our league right now and it'll be a tough game for us but we got to move on to the next one come tomorrow. We just need to keep climbing the standings to get where we need to be.

Greg Gorton, head coach
"He's a unique kid. He can score inside, he can beat you off the dribble, and he can make 3-balls. He's one of those kids without a weakness offensively. We felt like going at a couple of their defenders with him in the low-post was a good play for us and a high-percentage play for us."
 
What's Next?
The Duhawks (9-13, 4-7) will honor their seniors Saturday in the Athletic and Wellness Center against the Coe College Kohawks (13-9, 4-7). The Kohawks are coming off a 78-75 against Central. Earlier this season in Cedar Rapids, the Duhawks came up short 68-60. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.