STORM LAKE, Iowa – Powered by an 18-point showing from
Declan Ciurlik, the Loras College men's basketball raced past the Buena Vista University Beavers, 89-75, Wednesday night at Siebens Fieldhouse.
The Duhawks extended their win streak to 10 games, improving the programs record to 12-1 on the year and 3-1 in American Rivers Conference action.
Ciurlik, a native of Mequon, Wis. shot a season-best 87.5 percent from the field and was a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc. The senior guard did a little bit of everything to help his team to victory, pulling in four rebounds while recording three assists and one steal in 30 minutes of play.
Tyler Bass finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, while
Ali Sabet had 15 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
Jack Haynes closed out play with 11 points on 5-for-5 (100 percent) shooting from the floor.
Jackson Molstead and
Jared Pearson rounded out double digit scorers for Loras, with each contributing 10 points. Molstead hit two threes and was perfect from the free throw line (2-2) in a team-high 36 minutes of play, while Pearson was 2-for-3 (66.7 percent) from the field and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe – all while tying Bass for the team lead in rebounds (9) in only 14 minutes of action.
Both teams exchanged leads over the first 10 minutes of play, but a 31-15 Duhawk run to close out the first half gave Loras a double digit advantage (51-36) at the break. Over its run, the Purple and Gold were 11-of-16 (68.8 percent) from the field, with Ciurlik scoring 11 of his points over that span.
Buena Vista (8-5, 1-3) got within 13 points with 9:21 to play, but the Duhawks responded with a quick 14-8 stretch to extend its lead and cruse the rest of the way.
Loras posted a 38-19 advantage in rebounding and spent over 34 minutes with the lead over the course of the game. The Duhawks once again shined from the free throw line, going 14-for-17 (82.4 percent).
Next up, Loras will return to Dubuque to host the Central College Dutch on Saturday, Jan. Tip off is set for 4 p.m. inside the Athletic & Wellness Center.
