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

Jan. 22, 2022 – For the second time this season against the same opponent, the Loras College men's basketball team (12-5, 4-4 A-R-C) posted a comeback win against the Buena Vista University Beavers (9-9, 6-3 A-R-C) on Saturday as a buzzer-beater half-court shot by Declan Ciurlik ignited the energy for a second-half surge for the Duhawks and a 78-63 win inside the Patrick J. Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center.

Cole Navigato put the Duhawks on the board first with a jump shot after Jake Healy won the opening tip and a three-pointer by Healy helped bring the Duhawks' lead to 8-4 early in the game. Just as the Duhwaks were finding a groove, the Beavers posted a 9-0 run to lead 13-8, taking nearly four minutes off the clock. A layup by Alex Singleton stopped the run and Griffen Clark took his lane to the hoop for a layup to bring Loras within one point of Buena Vista but the Beavers came back and regained a ten-point lead, pulling ahead 30-20 with 6:43 left in the half. Four minutes later, Clark drained a three-pointer that sparked a run for Loras with a pair of layups by Navigato to make it a three-point game with under 90 seconds to play and Healy gave the Duhawks one more possession in the half with a steal with two seconds remaining. On the restart, Ciurlik got the ball and fired off a shot beyond half court, sinking the ball as time expired and causing an eruption on the Duhawk bench heading into the second half.

Energized from Ciurlik's heroics, the Duhawks posted six unanswered points to start the second half and take a 40-34 lead. At the 13:25 mark, Ciurlik made a three-pointer off a pass from Clark and Ali Sabet broke free for a fast break layup to give Loras a ten-point advantage. Buena Vista added a few more to come within five points with 10:40 remaining but a pair of free throws by Ciurlik started a 7-0 run to take a 62-50 lead with nine minutes left. The Beavers continued to fight back and cut into the deficit, 64-58 with 7:09 left to play but a three-pointer by Sabet with just under five on the clock gave Loras enough breathing room to close out the game with five-straight free throws for the win.

Navigato posted 22 points in the win with 10-14 shooting from the field and going 2-2 from the line. Sabet scored 15 and Kolinski added 13 of his own. To go with his ten points, Ciurlik shared the lead with Healy and Rowan McGowen with five rebounds. Sabet and Healy each added four assists and Healy had a team-high three steals. Loras finished out the game with 55 percent shooting from the field while the Beavers shot 39 percent and the Duhawks had a game-high 42 percent three-point performance in the second half, aiding in the comeback win.

The Duhawks are back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at Simpson College. Tip-off in Indianola is set for 7:30 P.M.