DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – The Loras College men's basketball tournament secured home court advantage for the first round of the Iowa Conference tournament on Saturday afternoon. Led by a 26-point performance by Mirko Grcic, the Duhawks defeated Simpson by a final score of 89-87. With the victory, Loras improved to 8-6 in the Iowa Conference, good for a tie for second place.

TURNING POINT
Loras got out to a commanding 62-50 lead with 13:14 remaining in the second. Simpson proved why they entered Saturday's contest as the second-place team in the conference, responding to take an 87-85 lead with 1:30 to play. With 28 ticks left on the clock, junior Danny Quinn scored the game-winning lay-up to put the Duhawks in front for good.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Each of the team's five seniors earned the starting nod on Saturday, in a contest that remained close throughout. Senior Patrick Schmelzle brought the crowd to their feet early, nailing each of his 3-point attempts in the first half of action. Alongside Schmelzle, seniors Sean Bourke and Dylan Humpal recorded basket's in their six minutes of play.

Loras and Simpson combined to score 82 points in the half, proving this wouldn't be a defensive ballgame. The Duhawks' first half defense was the best it would be all night, holding Simpson to 45.2 percent shooting. Simpson could not contain contain the Loras' perimeter offense, which hit 6-of-12 attempts from deep in the first half.

At the halftime break, Grcic led all scorers with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Quinn made the most of time on the court in the first, hauling in three offensive rebounds to go along with his four points. Second chance points were a major factor, with Loras holding a 14-8 advantage.

Second Half
The Duhawks built a prominent lead in the second half, leading by as many as 13 points at the 10:32 mark. Simpson refused to go down quietly, taking the lead twice late in the game. The Storm's Sam Amsbaugh scored 15 in the half, helping bring his team back to level ground.

Freshman Demond George combined with Grcic to score in double-figures for the half, racking up 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the half. George was spot on from deep, converting on three of his four attempts.

Quinn carried his solid play over from the first, grabbing three more rebounds, two on the offensive end. It was Quinn who the Duhawks turned to for a basket late, when Grcic found himself in double-coverage. One of his three assists on the night, Grcic found Quinn in the low-post, who then sunk a lay-up to give Loras an 89-87 lead.

On Simpson's final possession, Quinn played great defense at the rim to prevent a tip-in from sending the game to overtime.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mirko Grcic | Grcic recorded his second-highest scoring total of the season on Saturday, scoring 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting. The senior knocked down a key lay-up in the final minute to tie the game at 87.

SOUNDBITES | Danny Quinn, Mirko Grcic and Demond George

SOUNDBITES | Greg Gorton

UP NEXT
Loras plays Central in the first round of the Iowa Conference tournament on Tuesday. This season, the Duhawks dropped both games against the Dutch, with their last meeting being decided by a final score of 87-81. The winner of Tuesday's matchup will play top-seeded University of Dubuque in round two on Thursday night.

STORIFY