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

Feb. 16, 2022 – The final game of the 2021-22 season inside the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center was bound to be a showdown and delivered just that on Wednesday night as the Loras College men's basketball team (16-8. 8-7 A-R-C) took on the University of Dubuque (18-6, 13-2 A-R-C) in a crosstown rivalry matchup. The Duhawks posted a massive 51-point second half but the rally came up short against the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) champions, falling 92-91.

Cole Navigato posted the first points of the night and sparked a back-and-forth battle over the first two minutes before the senior forward hit another jumper to pull away just a bit and lead Dubuque, 16-12. Tyler Bass knocked down a pair of free throws at the 15-minute mark and a layup by Griffen Clark in response to a shot for the Spartans with 13:19 left in the half gave Loras a 20-14 lead, the largest lead either team would hold during the game. The Spartans answered back with an 8-0 run to erase the deficit and took a three-point lead off a three-pointer with 11 minutes to play. Jake Healy tied it up 27-27 with a shot from downtown and Clark added a pair of three-pointers with three minutes left on the clock to regain the lead, 35-32. Both teams traded threes on the next two possessions and it was not until the one minute mark the Spartans began to pull away, going on a 7-2 run to close out the half with a 45-40 lead.

The Duhawks forced a turnover to start the second half and got the ball into the hands of Rowan McGowen who knocked down a three-pointer and Healy followed suit with one of his own before putting up a layup for the go-ahead points with 18:22 on the clock. Jackson Kolinski and McGowen teamed up for a scoring spurt to put Loras ahead 54-49 with 16 minutes left in the game but the Spartans remained hot from three-point range and a string of long balls put them back in control, 61-59, with 12:30 left to play. Both teams continued to vie for the lead, trading points but neither pulling away until a string of free throws for the Spartans gave them enough of an edge to take an 8-75 lead with under five minutes to play. The Duhawks continued to battle but it seemed every point scored the Spartans were able to match. Navigato brought Loras back within one point with 22 seconds left in the game but the Spartans kept their distance with a pair of free throws to come away with the win.

Navigato led all scorers with 23 points and had eight rebounds on the night, leading five scorers in double figures. Clark added 16 points off the bench for Loras and was perfect from downtown, going 4-4. Healy added 15 points and a team-high eight assists while Kolinski and McGowen scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. As the score proved, both teams were neck and neck from start to finish, both shooting 62 percent from three-point range and committing limited turnovers. Loras won the battle at the boards with 27 to Dubuque's 18 and held the edge in free throw shooting, going 80 percent from the line while the visitors shot 61 percent, but the Spartans' 63 percent field goal shooting outdid Loras' still stellar night at 57 percent for just enough of an advantage for the win.

The Duhawks play their final game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Wartburg College. Tip-off in Waverly is set for 4 P.M.