DUBUQUE, Iowa – Fresh off two more wins to close out 2023, the Loras College Duhawks return to action on Wednesday night when the Purple and Gold head to Storm Lake, Iowa to face fellow American Rivers Conference foe Buena Vista University. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. inside of Siebens Fieldhouse.
GAME LINKS
Live Stats
Watch Live
LAST TIME OUT
The Duhawks concluded the calendar year with the Holiday Classic, winning both of its matchups in the annual tournament. On the first day of the Classic, Loras defeated the Lake Forest College Foresters, 94-82. Sophomore forward Jack Haynes led the way offensively for the Duhawks, securing the first double-double of his career after scoring a team-high 20 points, shooting 10-for-14 from the floor, while adding in 10 rebounds in 24 minutes of play off the bench.
Declan Ciurlik and Ali Sabet each scored 15 points, going an identical 3-for-5 from deep. Ciurlik hauled in seven rebounds and recorded four assists, while Sabet was 5-of-7 from the floor with three assists and a steal.
Tyler Bass recorded his fourth double-double of the season after finishing with 12 points and a team-high 13 rebounds. His busy night didn't end there, as the forward passed for a career-high five assists.
Myles Barry rounded out double-digit scorers finishing with 10 points, four assists, two rebounds and a steal.
The Duhawks finished the game shooting 49.4 percent (38-for-77) from the floor, including 40 percent (14-for-35) from beyond the arc. Lake Forest didn't fall far behind, shooting 49.2 percent (32-65) from the floor while holding the advantage in three point territory (41.7 percent) and at free throw line (8-for-8).
Loras followed up the win over Lake Forest with a thrilling 79-78 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran College on Saturday evening. Sabet finished with a team-high 24 points, going 7-for-14 from the field, in addition to 8-for-8 from the free throw line to lead Loras. Haynes turned in his second straight double-double, registering 16 points and 10 rebounds on 7-for-10 shooting from the floor.
Bass was the last Duhawk to finish with double digit points, as the junior forward had 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while finishing one rebound shy (9) of a double-double.
As a team, Loras shot 45.9 percent (28-for-61) from the field, including 4-of-15 (26.7 percent) from beyond the arc, but made it really count at the free throw line by shooting 95 percent (19-of-20). The Purple and Gold held the advantage in rebounding (35-26), points in the paint (44-34), bench points (23-12), and second chance points (17-6).
ABOUT THE DUHAWKS
The Duhawks are winners of their last nine games, coming into the inter-conference match up with an overall record of 11-1, in addition to a 2-1 mark in A-R-C play. As a team, Loras scores 92.4 points per game – a mark that stands as the fourth-most in the nation. Limiting its opponents to 72.8 points per game, the program holds the fourth-best point differential in the country (19.7).
The Duhawks have the best three point shooting mark in the A-R-C, making 13.6 per contest at a conference-best 40 percent on a league-high 33.6 attempts. The team's 81 percent mark at the free throw line stands as the best in the conference and fourth-best in the nation.
Leading the team in scoring is Sabet, who averages 19.9 points per game. The Glenview, Ill. native is shooting 50.3 percent from the field, including 46.3 percent from beyond the arc. The senior guard is also the nation's best free throw shooter, knocking down 94.6 percent of his attempts.
Trailing Sabet in scoring is senior guard Jackson Molstead at 14.5 points, followed by Haynes (13.4), Bass (11.4), and Ciurlik (8.5). Bass leads the team in rebounding at a mark of 7.3 per game, followed by Haynes at 6.3.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
Buena Vista enters Wednesday's bout coming off an 88-46 victory over Caltech on Tuesday, Dec. 19. The Beavers have an overall record of 8-4, with a 1-2 record in conference play. The Beavers boast the second-best scoring offense in the A-R-C at 86.5 points per game, in addition to making the second-most threes per game (10.2). The program has been great on the defensive end, securing 8.9 steals per game, which is the third-most in the A-R-C.
Senior guard Zane Neubaum is the program's leader in scoring, averaging 20.3 points per game. Senior forward Gunner Reed is second on the team with 14.8 points, followed by freshman guard Carter Sievers at 9.5.
Reed is the team leader in rebounds at 7.8 per game, followed by Neubaum at 5.6 and junior guard Christian Stanislav at 4.6. Reed also leads the team in field goal percentage at a mark of 63.5 percent, which stands as a top-20 mark in the country.
THE SERIES
The Purple and Gold are winners of the previous six matchups, including last season's 81-66 final on Jan. 21, 2023. The Duhawks trail the series over the past 20 years at a record of 20-24. Loras has been victorious nine of the last 10 meetings.
