DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Loras College men's basketball team faces a tough inner city road test this Wednesday as the Duhawks head down Loras Boulevard to face the University of Dubuque Spartans. Tip from inside the Stoltz Sports Center is set for 7:30 p.m.

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LAST TIME OUT
The Duhawks have been off competition for nearly a week due to weather but are most recently coming off an 86-59 victory over Luther College on Wednesday, Jan. 10 – the program's 12^th-straight victory. Jack Haynes scored 13 of his game-high 17 points in the first half, then Tyler Bass erupted for 13 of his 16 points in the second frame.

Loras finished the game shooting 44.4 percent from the floor compared to 37 percent by the Norse. The Duhawks controlled the rebound battle, 41-33, while also holding advantages in fast break points (25-3) and steals (9-2).

The first half was spirited from the start, as both teams exchanged buckets until Luther took its biggest lead of the game, 12-6, with 14 minutes to play in the opening frame. Loras responded with a 22-5 run over the ensuing six minutes to go up double digits (28-17), but a quick 8-1 run by Luther got the Norse within four (29-25) with 5:25 to play.

The Purple and Gold took care of business over the final moments of the half, leading it 45-34 going into the break.

Bass opened up the second half with a personal 9-0 run before a hook shot from Declan Ciurlik at 17:03 gave the Duhawks their first lead of 20 or more points in the game, giving the team enough comfort en route to the 27-point victory.

Ciurlik finished with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the floor, including a mark of 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Jackson Molstead had 10 points, three rebounds, an assist, and a steal in 22 minutes of play.

Myles Barry and Haynes each recorded nine rebounds to lead Loras, while Ali Sabet's six assists led the way for either team.

ABOUT THE DUHAWKS
The Purple and gold enter Wednesday's game with a 14-1 overall record, in addition to a 5-1 mark in the American Rivers Conference, and currently own the conference's longest active win streak. The Duhawks are led in scoring by Sabet at 18.5 points per game, followed by Haynes at 13.5, Molstead at 13.3, and Bass at 11.6. Haynes owns the third-best field goal percentage in the country at 70.7 percent.

Bass leads the team in rebounding, pulling in 6.9 per game, followed by Haynes at 6.1. Barry leads the team in steals at 24, while Molstead leads with 63 assists.

As a team, Loras has the strongest offense in the conference, averaging 90.1 points per game while knocking down 13.1 three pointers on 33.1 attempts per game – marks that all rank first in the A-R-C.

Nationally, the Duhawks rank near the top of several categories, including free throw percentage (3^rd / 80.3 percent), three pointers per game (3^rd), three point attempts (4^th), scoring offense (4^th), scoring margin (4^th / 18.5), rebound margin (6^th / 10.5), and assist to turnover ratio (6^th / 1.51).

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
The Spartans head into Wednesday night's contest with a record of 13-2, including a conference mark of 5-2 and were recently ranked as high as 18^th before dropping out of the latest top-25 poll by D3hoops.com on Jan. 14^th.

Junior guard Jaylin McCants leads the team in scoring at 19.1 points per game, followed by senior guard Sam Kilburg at 13.6. Kilburg has been deadly from deep this year, knocking down a conference-best 42.7 percent of his three point attempts. McCants leads the team in rebounding at 7.7 per game, with forward Dylan Anderson second at 5.3.

As a team, UD boasts the number one defense in the A-R-C, limiting its opponents to 63.7 points per game. The Spartans force 10.8 turnovers per game, in addition to limiting their opponents to making only 30.5 percent of their three point shots – marks that both stand atop the conference.

A-R-C IMPLICATIONS
Heading into Wednesday, Loras sits second in the conference standings and is one game ahead of Nebraska Wesleyan (14-2, 5-2) and UD. 

THE SERIES
Although recent history favors UD, the Purple and Gold own the series, 24-19, dating back to 2003. The last meeting took place on Feb. 15, 2023, in a 66-61 Spartan victory on UD's campus. The last Duhawk victory over Dubuque was a month prior, 86-74, inside the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center.