WAVERLY, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras men's basketball team fell to 11-11 on the year and 6-5 in Iowa Conference action on Wednesday, following a 73-70 defeat at the hands of Wartburg. Senior Mirko Grcic led all scorers with a game-high 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting, alongside five rebounds, and two steals. With a 10-point performance in the first half, Grcic became the 39th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000 point milestone.

TURNING POINT
With 6:11 remaining, Wartburg went on a 7-0 run, giving them a five point lead and their most substantial lead of the second half. Loras eventually tied the game at 70 with 35 seconds to play, but it was the late run by the Knight which led to the Duhawks' demise.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Grcic opened up the scoring for Loras, recording the teams' first eight points in five minutes of action. From then on, Wartburg took control of the game getting out to as much as a 10 point lead with 6:51 to play in the first. The Duhawks responded with a 12-2 run over the next four minutes of action to tie the game at 34. This run was sparked by perimeter shooting from the freshman duo of Demond George and Ryan DiCanio.

Defensively, Loras forced the Knights into committing seven turnovers, but could only turn it into five points on the offensive end. The Duhawks played solid perimeter defense, holding Wartburg to 2-of-10 shooting from deep in the first.

After trailing for a majority of the half, a lay-up from junior Danny Quinn gave Loras a 38-36 advantage heading into the locker room.

Second Half
The second half featured nine lead changes in a back-and-forth effort from both sides. Unfortunately for the Duhawks, mistakes came around to bite them, with the Knights scoring 13 points off turnovers in the half.

After scoring 18 points in the paint during the first, Loras was held to eight points from the painted area in the second.

Junior Justin VanWambeke found his stroke in the second, scoring a team-high nine in the half on 4-of-6 shooting. VanWambeke hit a key 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining to tie the game at 70. The junior scored a relatively quiet 13 points on the night, but hit shots down the stretch when it mattered most.

Loras had an opportunity to take the final shot of the game, but an untimely turnover sealed the Duhawks' fate.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mirko Grcic | Grcic led all scorers with a game-high 19 against the Knights to re-emerge as a offensive threat for the Duhawks. The senior was dubbed the 39th student-athlete in program history to clip the 1,000-point milestone following a 10-point performance in the first half. Grcic is set to be formally recognized for his achievement when the Duhawks return to Lillis Court on February 17.

UP NEXT
The Duhawks face a long trek to Storm Lake, Iowa for a conference matchup agaisnt Buena Vista on Saturday. Earlier this season Loras defeated the Beavers by a final score of 82-76 on Lillis Court. Buena Vista enters Saturday with momentum on their side, having defeated Central by a final score of 94-75 on Wednesday.