WAVERLY, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – KCRG made a wise decision in selecting to broadcast the Loras College Men's Basketball game at Wartburg College on Saturday afternoon. The game mirrored their previous encounter just 10 days earlier, a tight, competitive, gritty game. Only this time the Duhawks were the ones that trailed by one point at the final buzzer. Senior Nathaniel Smith got good look at a game-winning shot but couldn't convert. Senior Nathaniel Smith finished with 21 points and five rebounds while senior Aaron Schueller nearly matched him with 20 points and six rebounds.

The game began in a slow-paced fashion as a total of 14 points were scored throughout the first five minutes. It was evident that the style of play and ultimately the end result would be similar to the game played between the two just over a week prior with no team changing their plan of attack to much extent.

The Duhawks were able to get easy lay-in buckets as the Knights doubled any entry into the post, allowing Loras to find cutters heading to the rim. These easy baskets led to Loras shooting over 50 percent from the field in the first half.

Wartburg found comfort in their 3-ball, connecting on 5-of-12 from beyond the arc to keep pace. The score heading into the break was 37-33 in favor of Loras.

The Knights quickly regained the lead to start the second half and the two teams would trade it back and forth from there. A total of 19 lead changes occurred throughout the game with six ties.

However, things began to look bleak when Wartburg obtained the largest lead in the game at eight with just over four minutes left. Senior leadership took over for the Duhawks as all three starting seniors, Smith, Schueller, and Harmening, contributed buckets after strong defensive stands to crawl back to within one with 1:22 on the clock.

Coming out of a timeout and the Duhawks controlling possession, the Knights jumped into a 2-3 zone for the first time in the entire game. The sudden change stifled the Duhawks and they turned the ball over missing an opportunity to grab the lead.

With only 12 seconds remaining, Loras put a foul on Wartburg freshman Nick Woeste to send him to the free-throw line for the one-and-one bonus. The freshman missed his shot and after corralling the rebound, senior Bobby Harmening pushed the ball up the floor.

Harmening came off a high ball screen and attempted to penetrate the paint. With a plethora of Knights crowding the lane, he kicked the ball back up to the top of the key to Smith. Smith put up the shot at the buzzer from beyond the arc, but unfortunately missed long, giving Wartburg the 64-63 win.