DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – The Loras men's basketball team dropped to 7-6 in Iowa Conference action and 12-12 overall on Wednesday night, falling to Central by a final score of 87-81. Junior Justin VanWambeke turned in an extraordinary performance, scoring a game-high 29 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including an 11-of-12 outing from the free throw line.

TURNING POINT
Trailing 45-30 with 17:12 to play, Central's offense found their shooting stroke and began chipping away at the Duhawks commanding lead. By the 9:00 minute mark, the Dutch had taken a one-point lead over Loras, thanks to an outlandish performance from beyond the arc in which Central converted on .

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Loras stood out defensively in the first half, holding the Dutch to 32.4 percent shooting from the field and 3-of-13 from beyond the arc. The Duhawks forced Central into committing eight turnovers, seven of which resulted in steals.

Freshman Demond George collected three steals in the first, along with five points. Thanks to Loras' seven steals, Loras converted the Dutch's eight turnovers into 10 points on the offensive end.

The Duhawks put plenty of pressure on Dutch standout Colby Taylor resulting in a 1-of-8 shooting performance in the first half. This pressure however left forward Austin Glawe open to rack up 12 points in the half.

Grcic and VanWambeke each finished the first half in double-figures, scoring 11 and 10 points respectively. As a team, the Duhawks shot 45.2 percent from the field, including 5-of-12 from deep.

After the Dutch came back to tie the game at 21-all with 3:54 to play, Loras went on an 11-0 run sparked by six points from Grcic. The Duhawks had success in the paint throughout the first, scoring 16 points down low. Loras' late run showcased their prowess beneath the basket.

Second Half
Tides turned in the second half with Central shooting a commanding 64.5 percent from the floor on 31 attempts, including a 10-of-16 performance from 3-point range. Glawe and Taylor combined to score 32 of Central's 60 second half points.

Loras shot a respectable 48.5 percent in the second, but lacked in perimeter execution, sinking 3-of-10 attempts from deep. VanWambeke led all scorers in the half with 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including nine points via the free-throw line.

However, the Duhawks were unable to find a consistent shooting stroke outside of the star junior, with the rest of the team combining for 26 points in the half. Senior Justin Schneider provided the Duhawks with solid play in the post, posting his second highest scoring total of the season with 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting.

The tale of the tape came down to how each teams bench performed. While Loras' bench scored 13 points, the Dutch broke loose by tallying 41, highlighted by Glawe's 28 points.
 
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Justin VanWambeke | The junior scored a game-high 29 points, including a 19-point performance in the second half. Alongside his high scoring, VanWambeke contributed seven rebounds and two assists. Wednesday marked the 11th game this season of 25 points or more.

SOUNDBITES | Demond George & Justin Schneider

SOUNDBITES | Greg Gorton


UP NEXT
Loras remains at home for the final contest of the regular season. Simpson comes to town on Saturday fresh off a 74-57 triumph over Buena Vista. Earlier in the season Simpson defeated the Duhawks by a final score of 78-60. Heading into the final day, Loras sits in a tie for third place, one game behind Simpson. With a win by Loras in combination with wins from Dubuque over Central and Luther over Wartburg, the Duhawks would move into second place and earn a first-round bye.

STORIFY