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

Feb. 6, 2021 – Facing the highs and lows that come with playing a conference rival, the Loras College men's basketball team (4-2, 2-1 A-R-C) weathered the storm and came back to claim a 105-97 overtime victory against Nebraska Wesleyan University (0-2, 0-2), keeping the Prairie Wolves winless in American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) action this season and scoring the first win for the Duhawks in the series since the Jan. 26, 2019 victory back at Lillis Court.  

Both teams traded three-pointers to open the contest, foreshadowing the back and forth battle that would ensue, as Jake Healy and Rowan McGowen drained threes to start the game and tie it up 6-6 early on. David Grintjes grabbed an offensive board to put it back up for the Duhawks and take the lead, 8-6, and two more threes by Healy and Nick Savage to begin to build the lead 16-12 with 13 minutes left in the half. NWU took a brief lead with a three-pointer at the 11 minute mark until a layup from Cole Navigato sparked the Duhawks to go on a 14-2 run over the next four minutes to lead 37-23. The Prairie Wolves fought to cut the deficit but layups from Myles Barry and McGowen secured Loras' lead, 53-44, going into the second half.

The Duhawks rained three-pointers down on the Prairie Wolves to open the second half as Healy, McGowen, Griffen Clark and Declan Ciurlik helped Loras take a 68-44 lead to keep the Prairie Wolves scoreless in the first five minutes. NWU rallied back with eight points, looking to take back the lead, but a pair of free-throws and layups by Navigato helped position the Duhawks with a solid 18-point lead with 7:25 remaining. Grintjes kept the scoring going with a layup of his own off the assist from Barry to lead 86-66 and a jumpshot from Healy put Loras up 21 points with 4:36 remaining. But just as the Duhawks felt in control with the pace of play and the points on the board, the Prairie Wolves went on their biggest run of the day, erasing the 21-point deficit to force the game into overtime.

NWU continued the streak into overtime, starting the period with a layup, but Clark responded with a layup of his own and then hit a three-pointer off an assist from McGowen to put the Duhawks back in control. Navigato helped the Duhhawks get back in the rhythm and followed suit with a three of his own and a pair of free-throws from Healy to give Loras a 98-90 lead. The Prairie Wolves stopped the run with a three-pointer but only managed free throws until the final seconds of the game, giving the Duhawks enough room to hold the lead and come away with the 105-97 win.

Healy led the scoring with 25 points, shooting perfect beyond the arc (5-5) and at the line (8-8). McGowen tacked on 18 points with four more three-pointers in his quest for the school record and Navigato scored 17 points. Clark also scored in the double digits with 11 points and Jackson Kolinski grabbed 11 rebounds and two blocks. Myles Barry led the team with six assists and as a team, the Duhawks forced the Prairie Wolves to turn the ball over 24 times, helping gain key offensive opportunities to pull out the win. Connor Riekenberg led all scorers with 32 points off seven three-pointers.

The Duhawks look to extend their conference winning streak as they travel to Coe College on Wednesday, Feb. 10. Game time against the Kohawks is set for 5:30 PM.