DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - In a battle of top 25 teams, the 20th Loras men's basketball team fought valiantly inside of the Athletic & Wellness Center but could not pull the upset of No. 10 UW-Whitewater, falling 114-104. Josh Ruggles finished with 25 points, 20 of which came at the free-throw line.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
• The Duhawks struggled to generate offense early being held to 2-of-10 shooting in the first 10 minutes
• Loras managed to narrow the Warhawk lead to four with 1:30 remaining in the half on the back of a 7-2 Loras run
• Ryan DiCanio sent his side into the break on a high note, thanks to a pull-up 3-pointer with seconds remaining
• Rowan McGowen led Loras to start the second half scoring the first eight Duhawk points
• DiCanio entered double digits in the scoring column with an and-1 conversion off the spin move with just under eight minutes to play
• With time running down, Cole Navigato scored nine straight Loras points bringing the Duhawks to within seven

NOTABLES
• Ruggles set a career-high at the free-throw line going 20-for-20 … He is now 74 points away from 1,000 in his Loras career
• DiCanio recorded a season-high with seven rebounds
• Jordan Matthews hit a season-best six free-throws
• Both sides combined for 75 personal fouls and 82 free-throws
• Friday marked the first meeting between the two programs since the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2008 … The Warhawks improved to 3-2 all-time against the Duhawks

UP NEXT
After taking a quick break for Christmas, Loras returns to action on Dec. 29 on the road against Monmouth. The Fighting Scots are 3-7 following an 84-80 loss to Coe. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.