Contact: Emily Adlfinger, Director of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7970

Jan. 18, 2020 – The cross town rivalry between the Loras College men's basketball team (11-5, 4-3 A-R-C) and the University of Dubuque Spartans (10-6, 3-4 A-R-C) lived up to the hype on Saturday night as the two teams battled it out through a heart-pounding second half that came down to a layup from sophomore Jackson Kolinski to seal an 88-87 Senior Night win for Loras.

From the opening tip, both teams set the standard that whoever emerged victorious would have to work for it. Dubuque took a 4-0 lead to start, but a jumper from Rowan McGowen and another from Jake Healy sparked a 10-0 run for the Duhawks to put the home team ahead 10-4 in the first five minutes. Kolinski began to turn up the heat with back to back three-pointers to give Loras a double-digit lead, but Dubuque fought back to cut the lead by four with 10:42 left in the first half. A layup from senior JT Ford and a three-pointer and free throws from fellow senior Matt Dacy-Seijo helped the Duhawks get another run and extend the lead, 36-26 with 6:32 on the clock. The Spartans tried to make a run at the lead before the half but the Duhawks' diligence on rebounds gave them a 48-40 advantage at the end of the first half.

In order to come away with the win, Loras would need a strong second half as the Spartans were chomping at the bit to upset the Duhawks on their home court. The Spartans took the lead off a three-pointer from Henry Thomspon with 13:32 to play but Cole Navigato made sure that was quickly erased with a jump shot on the next possession. Kolinski hit another three and the Duhawks continued to play aggressive for the rebound, but the Spartans took another one-point lead following a jump shot from Peter Ragen with just under 11 minutes left to play.

The final ten minutes of the game was all about chipping away at the opponent as Dubuque challenged Loras at the free throw line, scoring ten points off free throws. Dubuque held a three-point lead with 2:15 remaining but a free throw from Navigato and a layup from Ford tied the game 84-84 with 1:20 to play. The Spartans took over the lead out of a timeout, pulling ahead 87-84, but Loras remained steady and sent McGowan to the line to shoot two and cut the score within one with 40 seconds left. Time continued to wind down and the Spartans missed a crucial layup with 18 seconds on the clock which Ford grabbed the rebound to give Loras control. With four seconds remaining, Ford found Kolinski for the layup and time expired on Ragen's attempt from the elbow, giving the Duhawks their first win in three games and one made even sweeter against a long-time rival.  

Kolinski posted his first career double-double with a career-high 21 points and 11 rebounds. He led the Duhawks from beyond the arc, shooting 3-4 and shot 60% from the field. Ford added 15 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season while McGowen also scored 15 points. As a team, Loras hauled in 42 rebounds while the Spartans grabbed 29. The Spartans led the second half 47-40 but the one-point edge from the first half lead proved to be the golden point in the matchup. 

The Duhawks head to Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Jan. 22 to play American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) opponent, Coe College. Tip-off against the Kohawks is set for 7:30 P.M.