NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Duhawks.com) - History was made on Saturday night as the 20th-ranked Loras men's basketball team advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history, upsetting No. 15 North Central, 84-82. Ryan DiCanio led the way with 28 points and eight rebounds. The Duhawks advance to the sectional round where they will face No. 4 UW-Oshkosh on Friday, March 8.

PRESS CONFERENCE (Link)

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED
• The opening 10 minutes provided plenty of parity, with neither side taking a lead of more than three points … A North Central layup at 9:47 gave the Cardinals their largest lead of the game at that point, 18-13
• North Central's lead was erased less than two minutes later, after an and-1 conversion by Demond George
• Aaron Jones sank back-to-back 3-pointers inside of a minute, combined with a layup by Connor Raridon gave the Cardinals a four-point lead going into the halftime break
• The break in action proved to be exactly what the Duhawks needed to flip the script, taking a one-point lead with 14:24 thanks to a 14-9 run
• Jake Toman's layup gave Loras the lead for the final time on Saturday
• Over the final 14 minutes, North Central cut the Duhawk lead to one possession on 10 occasions, but could never get back in front
• DiCanio drove and single-handedly delivered on a layup for two with 2:28 to play and gave Loras a 79-73 lead
• Down the stretch, Loras was 5-of-6 from the line, preventing any hopes of a Cardinal comeback
• With one second separating the Duhawks from a trip to the "Sweet 16", Josh Ruggles sprung DiCanio loose as if he was on a fly route … DiCanio caught the pass in stride and after a dribble, looked to the raucous crowd and smiled, knowing his team would live to see another day

NOTABLES
• Loras recorded its first win against North Central in school history
• Ruggles moves to within 11 of Jason Driscoll and Chris Jans for the all-time 3-pointer record with 203
• The Duhawks set a new school record for assists in a season with 531
• Head coach Chris Martin recorded his 60th career win on Saturday … He now ranks ninth on the all-time wins list, passing Doug Smith, who was head coach from 1982-84

UP NEXT
Loras advances to next weekend's sectional and faces No. 4 UW-Oshkosh on Friday night from inside the Kolf Sports Center on the campus of UW-Oshkosh. Game time to be announced later.