PELLA, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – The road struggles continued for the Loras College men's basketball Wednesday night as Central handed the Duhawks their sixth conference road loss on the season, 74-61. Senior
Nathaniel Smith continued his hot hand as he added 19 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
Central's Colby Taylor started off the game with the hot hand, scoring the first nine points for the Dutch. It would set the pace for the type of night he would have in store, finishing with a game-high 25 points.
Loras reclaimed the lead with seven minutes into the half thanks to
Luke Barry scoring five of his nine points in three offensive possessions for the visitors.
The Duhawks controlled the momentum for the rest of the half, growing their lead to as many as eight with 4:55 to play. Loras' ability to corral defensive rebounds and push the ball up the floor was the key to Loras building their lead.
Nile Eckermann, who came into the game second in the conference in points per game, was held scoreless without a shot attempt in the half thanks in large part to tenacious defense shown by senior
Aaron Schueller.
The final 2:11 of the first half was scoreless, giving the Duhawks a 31-28 lead after 20 minutes of play.
Loras maintained the lead for the first nine minutes of the second half until a pair of free throws by the Dutch put them ahead 45-44. The two teams exchanged blows back and forth, with neither team being able to run away with a lead. Central grabbed their first lead of the second half at the 10:51 mark thanks to a pair of free-throws by Kyle Smith.
Over the next six minutes, the Dutch mounted a 14-4 run as the Duhawk shooters went cold. All of Loras' points during the run came from the free-throw line.
In the second half, the Duhawks struggled from the floor, shooting 26.5 percent and 2-of-10 from beyond the arc. What didn't help matters was Central's ability to hit from all over as they finished the half going 14-of-26 from the floor.
With the clock ticking down, Loras attempted to make their comeback with a full-court press, but in the end, Central hung on for the 74-61 win.
Game ChangerWith just under seven minutes to play in the game, Colby Taylor hit a desperation 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to put the Dutch up by four and in control of the momentum
Key StatCentral shot 40 percent from beyond the arc in the game including 10 3-pointers, whereas the Duhawks managed to go 5-of-22 for 22.7 percent from deep
Notable- Loras gave up only two offensive rebounds and the Dutch scored no second chance points in the game
- The Duhawks held Nile Eckermann to just four points on the night … Eckermann averaged 18.0 points per game coming into Wednesday night
- The Duhawks recorded 10 steals on the night … It was the fourth time Loras recorded double-digit steals in a game this season
- Loras hauled in 12 offensive rebounds on the night, scoring eight points off those second chance opportunities.
Quotable
Greg Gorton, head coach"We had an eight-point lead midway through the second half and went cold from the field. That paired with our inability to get defensive stops in that stretch caused the loss on the road."
What's Next?The Duhawks (9-15, 4-9) will close out the season on the road at Simpson College (6-18, 1-12). On Wednesday night, Simpson took Coe to overtime but ultimately fell 81-71 at home. Earlier this season in the Athletic & Wellness Center, Loras trumped the Storm 78-66. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. in Indianola.
