Feb. 21, 2023 – The season continues for the fourth-seeded Loras College men's basketball team after it fended off a comeback attempt from fifth-seeded Wartburg College and emerged with an 85-80 postseason win on Tuesday afternoon.

The Duhawks (16-10) made it two wins over the Knights (11-15) in just four days after securing this home game with a win on Saturday in the regular season finale. They now move on to the semifinal round to face top-seeded Central College on Thursday night.

Tuesday night couldn't have started out better for the Duhawks as all the shots fell in the early going of this go-or-go-home matchup. A flurry of early three-pointers had the Duhawks flying high and playing with tons of energy as they led by as many as 19 on their way to a 51-point opening half.

In the period, Loras was 9-for-18 from behind the three-point line and shot 57.6 percent (19-for-33) from the field as a whole. Six different Duhawks connected on a three-pointer in the half – including two each from Declan Ciurlik, Ali Sabet, and Jared Pearson – as they poured on the offense to take a commanding lead into halftime.

Out of the break, it was Wartburg's turn to go on a hot streak as they hung around for the early stages of the half, then began to get hot before the halfway point to cut the lead down to single digits.

With just over 14 minutes to play in regulation, freshman Gavin Sarvis connected on a three-pointer for the Duhawks, making him the seventh player in a white jersey to make a shot from deep. Coincidentally, that would be the only made three for the Duhawks in the second half, and the Knights immediately followed that shot with a big run of their own.

That shot from Savis put the Duhawks up by 19, but Knights quickly embarked on a 14-0 run that included four three-pointers to cut the lead down to just five points, creating a whole new ballgame with 10 minutes to play.

With the shots not falling from the outside in the second half, the Duhawks had to get more production at the rim, and a dunk from freshman forward Jack Haynes stopped Wartburg's 14-0 run and started to reenergize the Loras crowd.
Haynes' dunk would be one of three for the Duhawks down the stretch with the latter two coming from sophomore forward Tyler Bass.

Wartburg's Jack Molstead, who finished with a game-high 29 points, connected on a jumper with seven minutes to play, making it just a one-point game before junior guard Myles Barry scored on the next possession for the Duhawks.

Barry then came away with a steal and dished an assist to Bass for a fast-break dunk to put Loras back up by five. Barry would also tally an assist on Loras' next basket as the lead went back to seven and gave the Duhawks some breathing room.

In the final minute, Loras drew up and inbounds play that saw Bass get free in the lane before he was fouled on the shot attempt, sending him to the line for a pair of free throws to try and put the game away. Bass connected on both, putting Loras up by five with just 12 seconds to play and sealing the deal on a game that was closer than Loras would have hoped.

Sabet led a balanced Loras offense with 16 points as Bass (15), sophomore forward Alex Singleton (15), and Barry (13) each finished in double figures.

Loras moves on to the play top-seeded Central on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 P.M. in Pella, Iowa in the A-R-C Tournament semifinals.