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

STORM LAKE, Iowa (Feb. 1, 2021) – The Loras College men's basketball team (3-1, 1-0 A-R-C) made the wait to start American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) play worth it as the Duhawks brought together a full-team effort to defeat Buena Vista University (2-1, 2-1 A-R-C) and open conference action with a 1-0 start on Monday, led by seniors Rowan McGowen and Cole Navigato posting double-doubles and four players scoring in the double digits in the team's 89-73 victory.

The Duhawks had to patiently wait for the matchup after two postponements pushed the game back a week but they were not patient when it came to pushing for the lead against the Beavers. Buena Vista opened the game with a three-pointer but Jake Healy responded back with two layups to give Loras the 4-3 edge in the first two minutes. McGowen hit his first three-pointer of the night to extend the lead, but Buena Vista once again followed up with one of their own to cut back Loras' lead. Buena Vista continued to challenge for the lead for the next three minutes before coming away with a one point lead, 14-13 with just under 15 minutes left in the half, but a pair of quick three-pointers from Griffen Clark and Declan Ciurlik put Loras back ahead 19-14 with 14:20 in the half.

The Beavers tied the game up 23-23 with 11:04 remaining until Clark drained another three to put Loras back in the lead, but Buena Vista once again challenged and tied it again with a three-pointer two minutes later. The Beavers found a burst of momentum, pulling away with a narrow 28-26 lead with 8:37 in the half until a pair of free-throws by McGowen sparked a 6-0 run for the Duhawks with just under six minutes to play. Loras continued to grow the lead and a three-pointer by Clark put the visitors ahead 39-31 with two minutes to play and Clark then found Navigato in the final seconds of the half for a statement dunk to send Loras into the locker room with a 41-34 lead.

Coming out of the break, the Duhawks were ready to push the pace as Healy scored in the opening second of the half and Navigato added his third dunk of the night one minute later to put Loras ahead 45-37. The Beavers tried to chip back the deficit, but with 12:40 left in the game, Healy hit a jumper to spark a 12-4 run over the next three minutes to extend Loras' lead, 67-55. Buena Vista could only pull back within eight points with less than 4:30 left to play as another pair of three-pointers from McGowen helped the Duhawks close out the game with 15 points to win 89-73.

McGowen was perfect beyond the arc, shooting 5-5 and added a 9-12 performance from the field for 25 points. He and Navigato, who scored 16 points in the contest, added ten rebounds each to aid in the team's 41 on the night and give Navigato his second double-double in as many games. Healy tallied 17 points with a team-high six assists and Clark also scored in double figures with 11 points, helping the Duhawks net a 53.3 shooting percentage from the field.

The Duhawks continue A-R-C play against local foe the University of Dubuque on Wednesday, Feb. 3. Tip-off at the Stoltz Center is set for 5:30 P.M. and fans are encouraged to tune in to the action via the live-stream, accessible HERE.