Jan. 11, 2023 – Capping off an incredible night of hoops for anyone wearing purple and gold, Loras College men's basketball held off a second-half surge from the University of Dubuque to end a four-game skid in the rivalry series with an 86-74 home victory on Wednesday night.

The Duhawks (11-4, 5-1 A-R-C) saw an eight game-winning streak come to a close over the weekend, but they were ready to right the ship against the Spartans (10-5, 3-3 A-R-C) as they shot over 50 percent from the floor to survive the emotional game.

These teams bother entered the day at or near the top of the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) standings, which was evidenced early on as the sides traded hoops for a majority of the first half. The margin didn't grow to be larger than two possessions for either team in the first 10 minutes before a string of three straight layups for the Duhawks increased the lead to seven points with just under eight minutes to play.

Those three buckets – two from junior guard Ali Sabet and another from sophomore forward Alex Singleton – were the first real separation for the Duhawks all game. That short burst created some momentum as Loras steadily held or increased the lead for the remainder of the first half.

With around four minutes to play, sophomore guard Tyler Bass slipped free for an open dunk that drew a reaction from nearly everyone at Lillis Court. That momentous play started a 12-5 run to end the half for the Duhawks as they headed to the locker room up 11 at 42-31.

Out of half, Loras looked ready to fully take control as a three-pointer from junior guard Declan Ciurlik extended the lead to 55-40 with 16 minutes to play. A well-timed timeout for the Spartans helped stop the bleeding as they started to chip away at the Duhawk lead.

After that timeout, the Duhawks went without a field goal for five minutes as the Spartans tallied a 13-2 run to cut the lead down to just four with 11 minutes to play. Loras weathered the storm and maintained its lead, but the intensity had been ratcheted up big time by the visitors and their crowd.

Clinging to a four-point lead, a three-pointer from junior guard Myles Barry started another run of three-straight buckets for the Duhawks as their lead shot back up to 11 points. From there, Loras managed the gap and connected on free throws down the stretch to fend off the comeback attempt.

In total, the Duhawks were 20-for-22 (90.9%) from the free throw line, marking a new season-high percentage as they missed just one free throw in each half.

Sabet led all scorers with 26 points on Wednesday thanks partly to a trio of three-pointers, including one in the final minute that served as the cherry on top for the Duhawks. Bass followed closely behind with 20 points while falling one rebound short of a double-double.

Singleton finished off his double-double bid as he tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive glass.

After a pair of road games to start the new year, this home win is an important break in the schedule as the Duhawks will embark on three more conference road games, starting with Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln, Neb. on Saturday, Jan. 14 at 4 P.M.