DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The postseason run for the Loras men's basketball came to an end on Wednesday, falling at home to Wartburg, 92-89. Senior Justin VanWambeke finished the night with 28 points, while sophomore Demond George added 19 points. Sophomore Ryan DiCanio had led the team with seven rebounds.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
First Half

• After Wartburg's Nick Webber opened with a three, Loras went on a 7-0 run with points from freshman Matt Dacy-Seijo, senior Christian Mathis and sophomore Ryan DiCanio.
• A 3-pointer from DiCanio at the 14:59 mark extended the Duhawks' lead to eight.
• With 7:14 to play, Jaran Sabus completed the 3-point play after a layup to give the Knights the lead at 26-25.
• Loras extended its lead to 10 just before the half thanks to a 3-pointer at the buzzer from Dacy-Seijo.

Second Half

• A slow start plagued the Duhawks as Wartburg quickly erased the 10-point deficit thanks to a 21-7 run over the first 5:13 of the second half.
• The Knights were 9-of-10 from the floor and forced four turnovers out of Loras.
• Refusing to break, the Duhawks quelled the rally before it got out of hand and kept Wartburg within reach, never trailing by more than two over the next 12 minutes.
• During that 12 minute stretch, beginning at 15:04 of the second half, senior Justin VanWambeke went off, scoring 19 points to take the reigns for Loras.
• Despite VanWambeke's monster outburst, the Duhawks were unable to build a substantial lead and found themselves tied at 82 with 3:03 to play.
• Back-to-back layups from Sabus coupled with a free-throw by Josh Gehling opened a four-point lead for Wartburg with 51 seconds left on the clock.
• Dacy-Seijo's 3-pointer cut the deficit to one at 88-87, but on their next possession, the Knights kept the ball in the hands of Sabus who tallied his 35th point of the night on a layup with 13 seconds to play.
• A pair of free-throws from VanWambeke kept matters close, but on the ensuing in-bounds play, Jordan Cannon sealed the win with a dunk on the opposite end of the court.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Justin VanWambeke | In what is expected to be his last game in the Purple & Gold, VanWambeke went out on a high note, finishing with a team-high 28 points, including a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line.

NOTABLES

• Loras closes its season with an 18-9 record and won the program's first Iowa Conference Championship since 2006-07
• VanWambeke closes his career ranking 16th all-time with 1,216 points, fifth in 3-pointers with 127 and fifth in steals with 111.

SOUNDBITES | Head Coach Chris Martin