DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – The Loras College men's basketball team was defeated in the first round of the Iowa Conference tournament on Tuesday, losing to Central College, 85-79. Senior Mirko Grcic turned in a valiant effort in his final appearance as a Duhawk, scoring 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting and hauling in nine rebounds. With the loss, Loras finishes the 2015-2016 season with an overall record of 13-13, an improvement over the previous season in which they finished 10-15.

TURNING POINT
Loras took all momentum towards the end of the second half, cutting a 15-point deficit to one with 1:26 to play in the second half. However, Central's Colby Taylor took over in the closing seconds, scoring four points on Central's final two true possessions to keep the Duhawks' comeback bid at bay.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
The Dutch was 5-of-15 from beyond the arc, holding a significant advantage over Loras, who was held without a 3-pointer, going 0-for-6. Against Central in each of this season previous matchup's the Duhawks struggled to contain Central's perimeter prowess.

Loras was led by Grcic in the first half, thanks to an 11-point performance on 4-of-7 shooting. Joining Grcic, freshman Ryan DiCanio added six points on six shots from the floor.

In the waning minutes, what once was a pair of hot-shooting teams appeared to lose steam as the Dutch managed two points while the Duhawks chipped in six. After 20 minutes, Central was ahead 32-25.

Second Half
Central opened the half by reclaiming its double-digit lead within the first three minutes of play. Taylor and Pete Walker led the Dutch throughout the half, scoring 17 points apiece in the second. Loras rebutted with strong play from Grcic and DiCanio, who combined for 36 second half points in their own right.

DiCanio brought energy to the floor, turning in a peak performance at the most crucial of moments in the season. The freshman finished with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting, with 15 coming in the second. Tonight marked DiCanio's first 20-plus point performance since he scored 24 against Keene State in non-conference play. Overall, DiCanio turned in 14 double-figure performances in his inaugural season.

Grcic left it all on the court Tuesday, appearing in what turned out to be the final game of his career. The senior scored a season-high 32 points, hauling in nine rebounds in the process. The senior turned it on late in the game, hitting four clutch free-throws in the closing minutes.

Offensively, the Duhawks dominated the second half, shooting at a 51.5 percent clip, up from 37.5 in the first half. After being held scoreless from beyond the arc in the first, Loras shot 6-of-13 from deep to bring Loras to within one with 55 seconds to play.

In the end, it was the play of Central's bench which held the Duhawks in check. After dealing with hot shooting performances from Kyle Smith and Austin Glawe in the past, Loras held them to a combined 17 points. Unfortunately for the Duhawks, a shortened bench limited Loras to scoring four bench points on the night as compared 20 by the Dutch.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Ryan DiCanio & Mirko Grcic | DiCanio and Grcic combined to score 53 points on 17-of-31 shooting. In the second half, the duo combined for 36 of Loras' 54 points. DiCanio turned in his best conference performance to date, previously having averaged 8.1 points per game in IIAC play. Grcic capped of a historic career donning the purple and gold, nearly matching his career-high of 34 points. The senior concludes his career with 1,099 points, 634 rebounds and 116 assists.

SOUNDBITES | Mirko Grcic, Justin VanWambeke & Justin Schneider


SOUNDBITES | Greg Gorton


STORIFY