DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Junior Ryan DiCanio's second consecutive double-double stood out from the crowd on Tuesday night as the Loras men's basketball team improved to 7-3 this season with a 102-90 victory over Blackburn. DiCanio and junior Josh Ruggles led the Duhawks in scoring with 22 points each while freshman Rowan McGowen added 19 points.

POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE (Link)


SERIES NOTABLES
- Tuesday marked the first meeting in history between these two programs … The Duhawks now lead the series 1-0 all time after Tuesday's victory

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
- Loras jumped out to an early double-digit lead thanks to a 11-0 run before the Beavers registered their first points of the night at the 16:32 mark
- Sophomore Matt Dacy-Seijo extended Loras' lead back to double-digits with a 3-pointer off an assist from senior Justin Busch 
- In a span of 1:46, the Duhawks strung together a 7-0 run with all of Loras' points being scored from the free-throw line, four of which came from junior Jake Toman
- Dacy-Seijo hit his second 3-pointer of the night, this time assisted by freshman Cole Navigato as the Duhawks found themselves with a 20-point gap over their opponents
- With seven seconds left in the first half, junior Ryan DiCanio found the glass for two points to complete a 7-0 Loras run and give Loras a 26-point lead after 20 minutes
- The Duhawks' shooting went cold over a span of 3:26 while Blackburn turned a corner and roared back with a 16-5 run
- Despite the Beavers comeback bid, Loras maintained a double-digit lead over the final five minutes, thanks largely in part to its free-throw shooting, sinking 10-of-13

TEAM NOTABLES
- Loras' 24 free-throws are the second-most this season for the Duhawks, with the first coming two days ago at Carroll with 26 
- The Duhawks made a season-best 12 3-pointers and is now 3-0 when shooting over 40 percent from beyond-the-arc, having shot 44.4 percent on Tuesday, which was also a season-best
- Loras improved to 3-0 at home this season

INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES
- Tuesday's victory was DiCanio's second consecutive double-double and his third of the season 
- With 15 points for sophomore Jordon Kedrowski is the Downers Grove, Ill. natives career-high in his second game for the Purple & Gold 
- Ruggles has now scored 22 or more points in seven of the Duhawks' nine games

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME - RYAN DICANIO
- The Bartlett, Ill. native grabbed 12 rebounds while scoring 22 points to pace Loras in Tuesday's victory … DiCanio also added four assists and three steals in the win

UP NEXT 
After the holiday break, the Duhawks return back to the AWC to take on Macalester. The Scots are 1-6 on the season and tip-off with Loras at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 29 in the Duhawks' annual Compass to Care game.