NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Duhawks.com) - In the first appearance to the NCAA Tournament since 2008, Loras defeated Albion on Friday night, 75-64, advancing to the second round of the 2019 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championhip. Josh Ruggles lead the Duhawks with 19 points while adding six rebounds.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
• The first 12 minutes of Friday's NCAA Regional Semifinal came and went without much excitement as both sides were searching for an opening … For Loras, that opening came at 8:19 on a • Ryan DiCanio 3-pointer … His jumper sparked a 21-6 run for the Duhawks
• During the run, Loras was 7-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-5 from beyond the arc
• Just as quickly as the offense found its stride, Albion's defensive adjustments kicked in and the Duhawks were held without a basket for the final 4:56 of the half … The Britons brought the game back to a reasonable margin thanks to a 6-0 run
• It took until the 9:19 mark of the second half, but Albion cut the Loras lead from 17 down to nine after a 3-pointer
• A layup at 8:22 made it 53-47 Duhawks, which was as close as the Britons would get the rest of the night … Loras' 6-0 run pushed the lead back to double-digits, helped in part by a pair of consecutive defensive stops
• Down the stretch, the Duhawks made 9-of-10 at the line to seal the win

NOTABLES
• The win is Loras' first in the NCAA Tournament since March 7, 2008 … On that night, Kyle White helped the Duhawks upset UW-Whitewater with 33 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer with six seconds to play
• Demond George set a new season-high for points with 337
• As a team, the Duhawks maintained their undefeated streak this season following a loss (6-0)
• When Loras and North Central meet on Saturday, it will represent the sixth ranked opponent that the Duhawks have faced this season
• Looking ahead to Saturday, Loras is 0-1 all-time against North Central … Only previous meeting came on Nov. 19, 2005 … The Cardinals won 70-57 behind a 33-point effort from Dan Walton

UP NEXT
No. 20 Loras and No. 15 North Central meet on Saturday in the Regional Final of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship. The Cardinals benefited from a monstrous second half, outscoring Chatham, 53-23, on their way to a 77-48 win. Tip-off from inside Merner Field House is scheduled for 7 p.m., with tickets going on sale at 5:30 p.m.