DUBUQUE, Iowa – In the midst of arguably the toughest stretch of its schedule, the No. 25 Loras College Duhawks welcome in No. 23 Coe College on Wednesday night for a Top 25 matchup between the two American Rivers Conference foes inside the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. from Lillis Court.
 
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LAST TIME OUT
Loras is coming off a 76-65 victory over (RV) Dubuque last Wednesday. Senior guard Ali Sabet led the way with 23 points, giving the Duhawks its 13-straight win – the program's longest such stretch in over 20 years and tying the third-longest win streak in college basketball, regardless of division.

Sabet was one four Duhawks to score in double figures, as Jackson Molstead was second with 16 points after going 4-of-8 (50 percent) from beyond the arc. Jack Haynes scored 14 points in 19 minutes, going an efficient 7-for-9 (77.8 percent) from the field.

Tyler Bass finished with his fifth double-double of the season after posting 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Duhawks shot 27-63 (42.9 percent) from the field, while hitting 32.3 percent (10-of-31) of its three-point shots. The Spartans (13-3, 5-3) shot 28.6 percent (18-of-63) from the floor, including 7-of-28 (25 percent) from the three-point line.

The biggest discrepancy in the game belonged to the whistle, which UD was the beneficiary of more times than not as the Duhawks were called for 26 fouls compared to 12 against UD. However, despite the disadvantage, Loras, as it has done much of the season, made the most of its attempts from the charity stripe, converting on 12-of-14 (85.7 percent) free throws. The Spartans went on to finish 22-of-36 (61.1 percent) from the line.

Dubuque never led in the game, as Loras started things off with a layup by Bass on the game's first possession and never looked back. UD fought to bring it within one, but Loras' offense had other plans. In the first half alone, the Duhawks shot 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field.

Loras' biggest lead of the evening (60-40) came with 12:51 to play, but a 19-7 run by UD over the next nine minutes brought things within eight (67-69) with just over three minutes to go. Sabet and Molstead combined to score eight of the final nine points for Loras to slam the door shut on any attempts from UD to claw back into the game.

ABOUT THE DUHAWKS
The Purple and Gold enter Wednesday's game with a 15-1 overall record and a 6-1 mark in A-R-C play. Loras is led in scoring by Sabet at 18.8 points per game, followed by Haynes (13.5), Molstead (13.4), and Bass (11.5). Haynes leads the conference and is second in the nation in field goal percentage (71.2 percent), while Sabet is the country's leader in free throw percentage (93.8 percent).

Bass leads the team in rebounding at 7.1 per contest, followed by Haynes' 6.3. Molstead has a team-high 67 assists, while Myles Barry leads with 25 steals.

As a team, Loras ranks first in the A-R-C in multiple categories, including assist to turnover ratio (1.5), free throw percentage (80.6 percent), scoring offense (89.3 points per game), scoring margin (18.1), three pointers per game (12.9), three point percentage (39.1 percent), and winning percentage (93.8 percent).

SCOUTING THE KOHAWKS
The Kohawks are 16-2 overall with an 8-1 mark in conference action. Leading the way in scoring is TJ Schnurr, a 6-6 senior guard. Dubuque native Cael Schmitt is second at 17.6, followed by junior forward Bennett Sherry at 13.5.

Schnurr is the team leader in rebounds at 6.6 per game, followed by Sherry at 6.3. Schmitt leads the program with 58 assists, while also accounting for a team-high 46 steals.

Coe leads the conference in field goal percentage, converting nearly 50 percent (49.5 percent) of its attempts. Its defense has been solid all season, limiting opponents to 65.5 points per game, which ranks second in the A-R-C.

A-R-C IMPLICATIONS
Loras stands one spot back in the conference standings from Coe. A win would push the Duhawks' conference win percentage above Coe, despite the Kohawks having won two more conference games heading into Wednesday.

Following Wednesday night's game, the Purple and Gold await another Top 25 matchup on Saturday when No. 19 Nebraska Wesleyan comes to town.

BACK IN THE TOP 25
Loras makes its first appearance in the D3hoops.com Top 25 rankings since the 2018-19 season, where it last was ranked 16^th, the program's highest ranking ever.

The Top 25 list is as follows:
1. Hampden-Sydney
2. Case Western Reserve
3. John Carroll
4. Calvin
5. Trinity (Conn.)
6. Oswego State
7. Trine
8. Guilford
9. Keene State
10. Randolph-Macon
11. UW-Platteville
12. Trinity (TX)
13. New York University
14. Cal Lutheran
15. Widener
16. Catholic
17. Christopher Newport
18. Mount Union
19. Nebraska Wesleyan
20. Emory
21. UW-Whitewater
22. Washington U.
23. Coe
24. Johns Hopkins
25. Loras

THE SERIES
Although the Kohawks are winners of five of the last seven matchups, the Purple and Gold have owned the series since 2003, going 27-17 over that span. The last Duhawk win was on Feb. 1, 2023, a 79-75 road victory. The last time the two programs met was earlier this season on Nov. 21, when Coe narrowly won, 76-74.