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

Feb. 24, 2022 – The Loras College men's basketball team (18-9, 9-7 A-R-C) fell victim to an explosive second-half scoring run by the regular season champions and crosstown rival, the University of Dubuque (20-6, 14-2 A-R-) on Thursday, falling 78-58 to the Spartans and seeing the 2021-22 season come to a close in the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) semifinal game.

The Duhawks started the game off with a trip to the line for Ali Sabet as the Duhawks drew a technical foul by the Spartans. Dubuque answered back with a three-pointer and layup but Rowan McGowen and Jake Healy rallied with two three-pointers to give Loras a two-point edge with under 17 minutes left on the clock. A three-pointer and layup by Declan Ciurlik, coming off his career-best performance in the quarterfinals against Wartburg College, helped the Duhwaks keep some distance and Alex Singleton kept the streak going with a three-point play, giving Loras a 17-12 lead at the 12:39 mark. The Spartans tied it up with under 11 minutes left in the half and went on a run of their own, pulling ahead by nine points off a three-pointer with 6:30 on the clock. McGowen and fellow fifth-year senior Cole Navigato combined for six points to cut into Dubuque's lead with 5:30 left in the half and Ciurlik brought the Duhawks within three to close out the first 20 minutes, putting themselves within striking distance down 32-35 at the break.

The Spartans went on a run to start the second half with a 17-2 run, commanding the first seven minutes of action to take a 54-34 lead. McGowen stopped their momentum with a jumper but the Spartans found another burst and scored five in response to pull ahead 59-36 with 11 minutes left in the game. Dubuque was in a rhythm the Duhawks could not break in the final ten minutes but continued to battle as Healy and Griffen Clark hit back-to-back three-pointers, looking to spark some offense for the Duhawks. Tyler Bass, David Grintjes and Alex Singleton all scored for Loras in the final two minutes but the Spartans had built enough of a lead to hold on for the win.

In his final game as a Duhawk, McGowen led the team with ten points and cemented himself seventh all-time on Loras' career scoring list with 1,644 career points. He is the program's all-time leader in three-pointers with 299 and took sole possession of the No. 6 spot on Loras' single-season three-point record with 70 this season. Healy added eight points Navigato scored seven in their final career games and Healy led the team with four assists and two steals alongside McGowen.