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

Dec. 30, 2021 – Behind season-high performances by Rowan McGowen and Ali Sabet, the Loras College men's basketball team (10-2, 2-1 A-R-C) closed out the 2021 year with a 6-0 record at home with a 101-83 win against Lawrence University (6-7, 3-1 MWC) on Thursday in the second day of the Loras Holiday Tournament.

McGowen made his first of six three-pointers on the Duhawks' second possession of the game to get Loras on the board first but the Vikings tied it with a three-pointer of their own before going on a run to go ahead 7-3 in the first three minutes. A layup by Declan Ciurlik and another by Jake Healy gave the Duhawks the go ahead points and Griffen Clark drained a three-pointer at the 13:07 mark to flip the script and put Loras up, 15-11. Another three-pointer by McGowen at 9:51 helped spark an 11-2 run over the next four minutes with Tyler Bass capping it off with a layup to give Loras a 44-25 lead with just under five minutes in the half. The freshman followed that with three more free-throws to keep the Duhawks' momentum rolling and five points by McGowen in the final minute of the half helped give the Duhawks a comfortable 52-34 lead heading into the break.

McGowen and Sabet got the Duhawks' offense started in the second half with a three-pointer and layup but the Vikings remained resilient and chipped away at the deficit over the next five minutes, coming within 13 points with just under 15 minutes left in the game. A layup by Cole Navigato put the run to a halt but Lawrence found another burst to cut the score 66-58 with 11 minutes to go. Sabet took the offense in to his own hands with an 8-2 run in a two minute span and McGowen found Navigato open in the paint for a signature dunk with 7:41 left in the game to put Loras ahead 78-62. Lawrence never let up on the Duhawks and came within 11 points with one minute remaining but Loras finished the game on a 7-0 run with a three-pointer by McGowen to send the Duhawks past the century mark for the third time this season.

McGowen's season-high performance was fueled by 6-11 shooting from three-point range and the fifth-year graduate student also led the team with six rebounds. Sabet had 22 points for a season-best performance to go with three steals and a team-high three assists alongside Jackson Kolinski while Ciurlik and Clark had 12 and 11 points, respectively, off the bench. Loras shot 56 percent from the field, grabbed 37 boards in the win.

The Duhawks kick off the new year with American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) action against Luther College on Wednesday, Jan. 5. Tip-off inside the Patrick J. Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center is set for 7:30 P.M.