DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras men's basketball defeated Luther on Wednesday night, 94-87, in their Iowa Conference opener. Senior
Justin VanWambeke led all scorers with 28 points, shooting 11-of-25 from the floor. The Duhawks forced the game into overtime after being down 11 points with less than nine minutes in regulation. Through overtime, Loras freshman
Matt Dacy-Seijo came in clutch for the Duhawks on multiple occasions. The Wheaton, Ill. native knocked down two, three-point shots en route to scoring all nine of his points in overtime as Loras outscored the Norse 18-5 in extra minutes.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
First Half
- The Duhawks jumped out to an early 12-9 lead over the Norse after junior Ryan DiCanio's snared the offensive rebound before sinking the three-ball with 15:42 to play in the half.
- Luther converted on missed offensive opportunities from the Duhawks, as they tied the game at 15-all two minutes later.
- After a 7-1 Norse run, Loras answered back with their own five-point run, after put-back by senior Christian Mathis at the 10:20 mark.
- Sophomore Demond George put an end to another extended run by the Norse with a pull-up jumper with 4:58 remaining.
- After a three-point play from senior Danny Quinn and a layup on the fast-break from George, the Duhawks tied the game with 36 seconds remaining in the half at 33-all.
- A VanWambeke 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining sent Loras to the locker room with a 36-34 lead.
Second Half
- Five straight points from the Norse opened a 10-point lead out of the gates in the second half.
- A VanWambeke 3-pointer followed by a jumper from George pulled Loras to within four at 67-63 at the 7:32 mark.
- Luther's largest lead of the night came with 9:07 to play after a jumper from Ray Whitlock in the paint.
- Over the next 3:39, Loras flipped the script and increased the defensive pressure, resulting in a 13-2 run to level at 69-all. The Duhawks benefited from a pair of turnovers by the Norse on back-to-back possessions.
- With 3:21 to play, and Loras in possession of all of the momentum, VanWambeke slotted home a pull-up jumper and drew contact, earning a trip to the line for the and-1.
- The Duhawks took their first lead of the half with 1:12 to play after DiCanio grabbed a steal and fed it to George who made the easy layup on the fast-break and drew the foul for the and-1 opportunity.
- With one second on the clock, Loras' last-ditch effort came up short, sending the IIAC lid-lifter to overtime tied at 79.
Overtime
- A change at point guard saw Dacy-Seijo come into the game to direct the offense. The Wheaton-Warrenville South graduate showed little sign of immaturity, draining a 3-pointer 11 seconds into the overtime period.
- On what would turn out to become the 'Dacy-Seijo Show', the freshman grabbed an offensive rebound on a missed trey from DiCanio. After an offensive rebound from DiCanio, Dacy-Seijo nailed his second consecutive 3-pointer for a 85-81 lead.
- Facing a six-point deficit and less than 90 seconds on the clock, Luther's Ray Whitlock attempted to drive the lane on the fast-break, but Dacy-Seijo beat him to the lane and assumed perfect position to draw the charging call.
- Quinn's layup from Dacy-Seijo with 33 seconds left all but sealed the win for the Duhawks, who improved to 2-0 inside the Athletic & Wellness Center this season, winning 94-87.
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Matt Dacy-Seijo | The freshman came in clutch for the Duhawks down the stretch, scoring all nine of his points in overtime. Dacy-Seijo went 3-of-4 from the free throw line and shot a perfect 2-of-2 from behind-the-arc while adding two rebounds and an assist, all in the final five minutes.
POST-GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
UP NEXT
Conference play continues for the Duhawks on Saturday when they head across town to face Dubuque. The Spartans come into Saturday's match up at 1-2 on the season after falling in their Iowa Conference opener to Buena Vista on Wednesday, 91-79. Dubuque took both meetings during the 2015-16 season before winning the IIAC Regular Season Championship.
