CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - On Wednesday, the Loras men's basketball team clinched at least a share of the Iowa Conference title with their 84-83 win over Coe. The Duhawks were led by sophomore
Ryan DiCanio who finished with 26 points on the night. It was a layup by senior
Danny Quinn with two seconds remaining that pushed Loras back in front for the final time.
MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
First Half
- Loras got started with a 3-pointer from freshman Matt Dacy-Seijo as a result of a strong screen from senior Danny Quinn.
- Sophomore Jake Toman a triple of his own to pull the Duhawks and Kohawks even at 9-all.
- Halfway through the period, Quinn grabbed a steal and drew a foul on the layup attempt, sinking his shot and converting on the ensuing free-throw for the 3-point-play, resulting in Loras' first lead of the night at 20-18.Â
- Coe regained the lead and extended it to as many and seven with 26 seconds to play in the half. Senior Justin VanWambeke's free-throw cut the deficit to 46-40 for Loras after 20 minutes of play.
Second Half
- Loras collected its first lead since 10:00 on the clock in the first half when George hit his third 3-pointer of the night at the 16:59 mark.Â
- DiCanio converted on the and-1 opportunity for a 57-55 lead with 12:34 remaining in regulation.Â
- Another 3-point play from DiCanio, this time a trey, gave the Duhawks their biggest lead of the night, capping a 5-0 run all from the sophomore.
- A pair of free-throws from senior Justin VanWambeke extended Loras' lead to eight at 73-65 with 6:52 remaining.
- Within minutes, Coe had cut the deficit to one after a layup from Calvin Winkler at the 3:42 mark.Â
- Quinn put an end to the Kohawk run with his layup.
- Coe took back the lead after a layup from Matt Vonderhaar, prompting a timeout from Loras Head Coach Chris Martin.
- Out of the break, DiCanio wasted no time, taking the in-bounds pass and drove straight to the hoop for two points.
- After the Kohawks regained the lead once again with 10 seconds remaining, VanWambeke took the inbounds pass out of the timeout and at the last possible second, after drawing the post to the right side of the lane, fed Quinn under the basket for the layup and the win, 84-83.
FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Danny Quinn | The senior totaled 16 points, including the game-winner to seal the victory for Loras over the Kohawks.
NOTABLES
- Tonight's 26 points for DiCano marks the eighth game this year the sophomore has put up 20-plus points.
- Coupled with Buena Vista's loss on Wednesday, the Duhawks have earned at least a share of the Iowa Conference Regular Season Championship, the program's first since the 2006-07 season
SOUNDBITES | Ryan DiCanio, Danny Quinn and Head Coach Chris Martin
UP NEXT
Loras closes out the regular season on Saturday at home against Nebraska Wesleyan. The Prairie Wolves defeated Kansas Christian on Tuesday night, 144-78, and enter the weekend with a 17-7 overall record and 10-5 mark in the Iowa Conference. With a win by the Duhawks, Loras locks up the outright regular season championship and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
