DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Loras goes on the road for a showdown with Wartburg on Saturday. KCRG 9.2 will be broadcasting the game live with tip-off set for 4 p.m.

ABOUT WARTBURG ...
Wartburg enters Wednesday's contest on a two-game winning streak. At 5-4 in the Iowa Conference, Wartburg is currently fourth in the standings. Jordan Cannon leads their dynamic offensive attack of the Knights, averaging 15.2 points per game. He's joined by Clay Cook and Nick Webber as the three members of the Knights that are averaging double-digit points per game. Cook is close to averaging a double-double each night out, tallying 9.3 rebounds per game. The weak point of his game comes at the charity stripe where he's only converting at a 49.4 percent clip. The Knights have been a dominant second half team, scoring 811 points in the latter 20 minutes, compared to their opponents scoring 706 in the same time frame. This mark is almost 200 points higher than their first half total, as they've scored just 648 points in the initial period. Their defense has also gotten worse in the second period though as they've allowed just 604 total points in the first half.

CRISS NOTCHES CAREER-HIGH …
Earlier this week against Buena Vista University, sophomore Dominque Criss tallied a new career-high in points scored with 19. This mark breaks his personal best of 18 that he set earlier this season against Principia College. Criss' 8-of-11 shooting night was by far his best of the season, and the three shots he made from beyond the arc were also good for a season-high performance. Despite having not started a game all season long, Criss is one of the Duhawks most valuable assets. In just 17 minutes of play a game, Criss is averaging 6.8 points per game as well as 1.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists. When he presumably see's the starting lineup in the 2015-2016 season, Duhawk fans are expecting these numbers to improve drastically. With two years of eligibility remaining, Criss has the confidence of a long-time conference veteran that will allow for him to succeed in the future.

BUENA VISTA'S OFFENSE TOO HOT TO HANDLE …
Despite shooting a strong 46.3 percent clip from the field and 56.3 percent from long range, the Duhawks were unable to combat the all-around offensive outburst of Buena Vista University. Loras only allowed the Beavers to shoot 33.3 percent from long range in this contest, but the Beavers were able to shoot 55.4 percent from the field against the Duhawks defense. Junior Mirko Grcic and senior Nathaniel Smith kept reigning "IIAC Male Athlete of the Week" Kennedy Drey in check with just five points, but Nick Clark used this to his advantage scoring 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Coming into this game, it seemed like Buena Vista was a little lackadaisical with the ball, turning it over 14 times a game, but Loras was only able to notch 10 this time around while giving up 10 themselves. Overall, the Duhawks inability to guard the perimeter did them in as they allowed Buena Vista to shoot 9-of-16 from deep in the first half.

DEFENDING JORDAN CANNON …
In the Duhawks previous matchup with Wartburg, sophomore Jordan Cannon single handedly kept the Knights in the game until the final buzzer. Cannon was able to score 24 points on 10-of-25 shooting and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Each of those marks are career bests for Cannon. At 15.2 points per game, Cannon is the Knights leading scorer and the fourth highest scorer in the Iowa Conference. His 49.8 percent shooting ranks 10th in the conference and his 38.7 percent shooting from long range is good for 14th in the conference. Cannon poses a significant threat to the Duhawks if he can consistently knock down shots from deep seeing as the Duhawks have allowed teams to shoot 37.9 percent from long range on the season and Cannon averages 2.05 made per game.

DUHAWKS EYE SEASON SWEEP OF KNIGHTS …
A win by the Duhawks on Saturday would mark their first sweep of the season, avenging a 0-2 record against the Knights a season ago. In their final five games, Loras faces off against Simpson and Central with the opprtunity to sweep their Iowa Conference foes. There is little doubt that Wartburg will be looking to avenge a one-point loss from earlier this season, putting pressure on the Duhawks defense to step up and lock down the Knights offense.

KEYS TO BEATING WARTBURG …
Although Wartburg ranks towards the middle of the conference in points per game with 72.9, their defense is what has made them a conference contender this season. The Knights come into this matchup ranking second in the conference in points allowed at 65.5. They also boast the second best scoring margin in the conference with +7.4, trailing only University of Dubuque and the second best field goal percentage defense in the conference at 40.9 percent. On the other hand, Loras' defense has allowed their opponents to shoot 46.1 percent from the field this season. A defensive upgrade similar to their previous meeting will need to be in order for the Duhawks to come out victorious. If Loras can hold Wartburg under 70 points once again this matchup should be close, but the team has to come out committed to playing top notch defense. Look for Loras to prevail if this is an overall low-scoring affair.

THE FINAL FIVE …
With just five games remaining in the regular season, the Duhawks are hoping to finish strong and put a positive spin on the end of their season. With a five game winning streak, the Duhawks could still finish the season at 13-12 and 8-6 in the Iowa Conference which would surely place them in the conference tournament. Coming up, the Duhawks will face Wartburg, Luther, Coe, Central, and Simpson. Each of their away games will be played against teams they've already bested this season in Wartburg, Central, and Simpson. The Duhawks will be in the Athletic and Wellness Center to take on both Luther and Coe in the coming weeks. Loras will be looking to get revenge on the upset win Luther scored over them January 24th while Coe is a team that the Duhawks played well against in the second half of their early season battle. It's not too late to count Loras out of post-season play where the Duhawks will look to extend the careers of their five senior athletes.

DEFENSE KEY TO WINNING DOWN THE STRETCH …
While it's no surprise to say that a good team defense will win a lot of games for a squad, the stats strongly back it up for the Duhawks this season. In games that Loras has won, they've held opponents to an average of 67.5 points. However, in games that they have lost, opponents have scored, on average 80.5 points, including four games of 90+ points. With the talent Loras has, they know that they can score, but a focus on defense will be crucial to their success during the final stretch of the season.

DUHAWKS STRUGGLING AWAY FROM HOME …
Coming off of a season in which the Duhawks played better away than at home to the tune of an 8-6 record, Loras has struggled to win games on the road thus far. The Duhawks boast just a 1-4 record away from the Athletic and Wellness Center this season which has left some Duhawks fans surprised. Two of these losses came at the hands of conference opponents, hurting the Duhawks chances of moving towards the top of the conference standings. Winning games on the road tends to be the key to placing well at the end of the season.

GORTON JOINS THE CENTURY CLUB ...
With the win over Simpson, Head Coach Greg Gorton reached 100 career Iowa Conference victories. In his tenth season at the helm, Gorton joins the likes of Buena Vista's Brian Van Haaften and Wartburg's Dick Perth as the only three current Men's Basketball coaches in the conference with 100 wins in the IIAC. All three of coaches are the longest tenured men's coaches in the conference. This accomplishment emphasizes the commitment Gorton has to his program as well as his athletes.

GRCIC TIES SCHOOL RECORD ...
In the 2014-15 season opener, junior Mirko Grcic hauled in 26 rebounds, tying a Loras school record dating all the way back to the 1954-55 season. That year, Al Carew collected 26 rebounds in a game against St. Norbert College.