DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras men's basketball team moved to 15-4 (8-2 IIAC) on the year with a win over Wartburg on Wednesday. Junior duo Ryan DiCanio and Josh Ruggles paved the way for the Duhawks' fifth straight win as DiCanio scored 22 and Ruggles finished with 21. 

PRESS CONFERENCE (Link)


SERIES NOTABLES
- The two sides were level at 51 wins each prior to Wednesday's matchup … Loras now leads 52-51 and earned their first win in the last four meetings between the two

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
- Nine points from DiCanio in the first five minutes of play gave the Duhawks an early 14-8 advantage
- Loras earned its first double-digit lead of the night with a 9-0 run with three points each from DiCanio, Ruggles and freshman Cole Navigato
- A 3-pointer by freshman Rowan McGowen opened a 40-26 Duhawk lead
- DiCanio recorded his fifth assist of the evening with following a 3-pointer by junior Will McClaughry with less than a minute to play in the first half
- Despite the Knights pulling within 10 at the beginning of the second half, a 3-point play from McGowen for his sixth point of the night kept Wartburg's comeback bid at bay
- In the last six minutes of regulation, Loras went 7-of-9 from the charity stripe and ended the game on a 15-5 run for the 92-75 victory

TEAM NOTABLES
- The Duhawks are now tied with Nebraska Wesleyan for sole-possession of first place in the IIAC
- Loras finished Wednesday's win with 11 second-chance points off of nine offensive boards while Wartburg did not record a single second-chance point despite collecting seven offensive rebounds
- At the line, the Knights shot 51.5 percent, compared to 84.6 percent by the Duhawks
- In the first half, Loras' bench outscored Wartburg's 17-4, but was later outscored in the second half 15-7
- Head coach Chris Martin's team is one game ahead of where his team was a season ago, owning a 15-4 record as compared to 14-5 in 2017

INDIVIDUAL NOTABLES
- DiCanio is now 10 points away from becoming the 41st member in program history to score 1,000 … In his 19th game of the season, DiCanio has matched last season's assists total (93) and his rebound total from freshman year (134)
- Two blocked shots from McClaughry matches a single-game best by any Duhawk this season
- Ruggles' 21 points marks his 14th game this year with more than 20 points and his third straight … His consecutive free-throw streak was extended to 60 … Ruggles ranks fifth all-time in school history for 3-point field goals in a single season with 68 … 
- Sophomore Jake Toman surpassed 300 career points
- Freshman phenom Rowan McGowen is one of two players on Loras' roster to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor and from distance

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME - Ryan DiCanio
- The Bartlett, Ill. native led the team in points (22), rebounds (9) and assists (8) in Loras' victory ... DiCanio has now recorded six games with more than 20 points

UP NEXT
The Duhawks return to the Athletic & Wellness Center on Saturday for a matinee matchup with Coe. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.