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

WAVERLY, Iowa (Feb. 19, 2022) – The Loras College men's basketball team (17-8, 9-7 A-R-C) came into Levick Arena with a mission on Saturday looking to avenge a one-point loss in the last meeting against Wartburg College this season and the Duhawks were successful in their conquest, denying the Knights (16-9, 9-7 A-R-C) a second-half comeback to close out the regular season with an 86-83 victory.

The Knights put up the first points of the game but a layup by Ali Sabet and a three-pointer by Cole Navigato started off a scoring run that saw Loras take a 9-5 lead in the early minutes. Back-to-back three-pointers by Jake Healy and Sabet extended the lead 18-11 but Wartburg came charging back and tied the game 21-21 with just under nine minutes to play but it was short lived as the Duhawks opened up the scoring with a layup by Healy and back-to-back three's by Sabet and Griffen Clark. Tyler Bass grabbed a missed shot by the Knights and got it down on offense, making the layup to make it an 11-point game with 5:44 to play. Navigato kept it rolling with a layup and drew a foul on the shot, turning his bucket into a three-point play and putting Loras ahead 39-25. Clark hit another three and Sabet followed with a layup as Rowan McGowen and Declan Ciurlik helped the Duhawks close out the first half with a 9-3 run to hold a 48-31 lead.

The Duhawks continued to find rhythm in the second half and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the first ten minutes of the half, but the Knights found their spark late, going on an 11-0 run to come within one point, 65-64, with under seven minutes left in the game. Both teams traded free throws, keeping the score tight, until a three-pointer for the Knights with 2:46 left on the clock tied the game, 76-76. Healy responded with a jumper on the next play before the Duhawks called a timeout but Wartburg came out of the huddle unwilling to give up, tying it once again at 78-78 with under two minutes remaining. With 11 seconds remaining, Sabet used the clock to his advantage, winding down the shot clock and putting a move on his defender to find room for a floater, giving Loras a four-point advantage. Sabet grabbed the defensive board off a missed three-pointer by the Knights and drew the foul, heading to the line to sink a pair of game-sealing free throws. The Knights put up one last second heroic attempt with a deep three as time expired, but it was too little too late as the Duhawks secured the road win.

Sabet led the team with 16 points and added five assists while Navigato added 15 points, Healy scored 12, Ciurlik added 11 and Clark scored ten to go with a team-high three steals. Jackson Kolinski led the team with six rebounds. Both teams were near neck and neck across the board in statistics. The Duhawks went 13-15 at the line, good for 86 percent shooting and a strong first half helped the team to 57 percent shooting from the field. Loras shot 75 percent from beyond the arc in the first half but did not make a three-pointer in the final 20 minutes, opening the door for the Knights to post seven during the second half and put away a 52-point performance.

The Duhawks will have another go at the Knights in the quarterfinals of the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 7 P.M. The winner of that game faces No. 1 the University of Dubuque on Thursday.