LA CROSSE, Wis. (Duhawks.com) - For the first time since 2007, the Loras men's basketball team went into Mitchell Hall and came away with a win over UW-La Crosse, 88-79. Sophomore
Ryan DiCanio scored a game-high 24 points and added 10 rebounds along with seven assists. Four Duhawks finished in double figures and senior
Justin VanWambeke moved to within 23 points of 1,000, scoring 17 on Saturday.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
First Half
- Making his first career start, freshman Matt Dacy-Seijo wasted no time in proving his worth, scoring eight of Loras' first 10 points, capped by a deep 3-pointer at the 16:06 mark to give the Duhawks the 10-9 lead.
- After taking a 15-11 lead, the Loras offense was silenced over the next five minutes, allowing UW-La Crosse to open a 22-15 lead.
- Senior Danny Quinn put an end to the skid with back-to-back possessions resulting in points off offensive rebounds. Quinn scored the next six points for Loras to cut the deficit to three at 24-21.
- On the Duhawks' next trip down the court, Quinn delivered a pass on the money to sophomore Ryan DiCanio for the easy layup.
- The final 5:10 of the half saw the Duhawk offense ignite en route to a 20-8 run, headlined by sophomore Demond George and senior Justin VanWambeke combining for 14 points on 4-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
- As a team, Loras shot 55.6 percent from the floor, including 53.8 percent from distance. The Duhawks owned the rebound advantage at 17-11.
Second Half
- Loras carried the momentum from their run to end the first half into the second, taking a 10-2 run and turning it into a 21-5 run.
- The Duhawks endured their second scoring drought beginning with 15:14 to play. UW-La Crosse cut the Loras lead to four at 64-60 thanks to a 19-8 run that spanned 6:22 of the second half.
- But just as quickly as the Eagles erased a double-digit deficit, they once again found themselves down by 12 after an 11-3 run by the Duhawks.
- The final 5:41 of the game saw UW-La Crosse own a slight edge in the scoring, 16-13, but it wasn't enough to erase the substantial deficit.
- On Saturday, Loras benefited from its perimeter shooting, finishing 12-of-25 compared to the Eagles who finished 4-of-17. The Duhawks also commandeered the glass, out-rebounding UW-La Crosse by a 36-25 margin.
- Saturday's win is the first for Loras against the Eagles since Dec. 21, 2007. On that night, Brian Centella scored 19 points for the Duhawks to win 73-67.
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ryan DiCanio | The Bartlett, Ill. native tied a career-high mark set last season in a triple overtime win over Keene State, finishing with 24 points while adding 11 rebounds and seven assists.Â
UP NEXT
Loras hosts UW-Platteville in a tri-state matchup on Saturday, Dec. 17 inside the Athletic & Wellness Center on Lillis Court with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. The Pioneers are 5-2 and will host Dubuque for a non-conference game on Wednesday, Dec. 14.
