Contact: Emily Adlfinger, Director of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7870

Nov. 23, 2021 – Behind a double-double from senior Cole Navigato and a second-half scoring surge, the Loras College men's basketball team (4-0, 1-0 A-R-C) kept its unblemished record and opened American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) action with an 83-57 win against Simpson College (1-4, 0-1 A-R-C) on Tuesday.

The Storm took a quick lead after it took either team to get something rolling on offense but Myles Barry opened the scoring for Loras with a layup and drew the foul for a three-point play and Navigato added a jumper to give Loras a 5-4 edge with 15:36 on the clock. Simpson took back the lead, 9-5 with a three-pointer and layup but Navigato, Rowan McGowen and Jake got to work on offense to help the Duhawks to a 13-9 lead with just under 12 to go in the half. A three-pointer for Simpson tied the game but the Storm could not take back the lead as Ali Sabet drained a jump shot and Alex Singleton tacked on two free throws to keep Loras ahead, 19-15. The Duhawks steadily built their lead before a three-pointer by the program leader himself, McGowen, put the Duhawks up by ten with two minutes left in the half. Simpson tried to claw back with a 6-2 run to close out the half, but it was Loras with the 33-27 lead heading into the break.

After a slow start in the first half, Loras wanted to come out of the locker room ready to take control of the game and a layup by Navigato sparked a 11-0 run as the Duhawks hammered Simpson's defense in the opening two minutes. Another three-pointer for McGowen gave Loras a 54-33 lead with 15:34 on the clock and a layup by Navigato extended the lead 65-36 minutes later. The Storm put together a ten-point run in the final ten minutes to challenge back at the Duhawks, but a dunk by Navigato gave Loras a 30-point lead with three minutes remaining and the Duhawks maintained their distance to come away with the first conference win of the season.

Navigato, who had a career-high 16 rebounds in the last meeting against the Storm in the 2020-21 season, scored 15 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the win while McGowen led all players with 19 points and added seven rebounds. Sabet had a team-high five assists to go with 13 points and Healy added ten points off the bench. The Duhawks had another strong showing at the free-throw line, shooting 83 percent and out-rebounded the Storm, 44-30.

The Duhawks are back at the Patrick J. Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center on Saturday, Nov. 27, hosting Concordia University-Wisconsin at 3 P.M.