DUBUQUE, Iowa – The No. 20 Loras College Duhawks look to continue its trek through American Rivers Conference play on Wednesday evening when it travels to Waverly to face the Wartburg College Knights. Tip is set for 7:30 p.m. inside of Levick Arena.
 
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LAST TIME OUT
Loras is back in the winning column after upsetting the 19^th-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves, 84-64, on Saturday, Jan. 27. Ali Sabet led the way with 22 points, while Jackson Molstead added 18 and Tyler Bass finished with 17 to lead the Duhawks.

With the win, the Purple and Gold jumped back into the second spot of the A-R-C standings, leapfrogging NWU with roughly three weeks of play remaining.

Jack Groeteke scored 14 points while Carter Glenn added in 11 for Nebraska Wesleyan, which had its 12-game winning streak snapped.

Sabet went 7-for-15 from the field, including a mark of 6 of 13 from behind the arc. The senior guard out of Glenview, Ill. notched a season-high in minutes played with 38. Molstead matched Sabet by going 7-for-15 (46.7 percent) from the floor en route to his 18 points, his most since scoring a season-high 21 against Blackburn College on Dec. 20, 2023.

Bass went 6-for-10 (60 percent) from the field, in addition to making all four of his free throw attempts. The junior forward threw down a couple  thunderous dunks in the second half, while also hauling in in six rebounds in 30 minutes of play.

Jack Haynes led the team in rebounding with seven, while senior guard Declan Ciurlik had a team-high seven assists.

The Duhawks drilled 12 three pointers, making it five of the last six games the program has hit double-digit shots from beyond the arc.

As a team, the Purple and Gold shot 49.2 percent (32-for-65) from the field, while Nebraska Wesleyan was 23 of 52 (44.2 percent). Loras led for over 33 minutes of play (33:19), despite six lead changes between each program.
 
ABOUT THE DUHAWKS
The Purple and Gold enter Wednesday's matchup with a 16-2 overall record, including a 7-2 mark in conference action. Loras owns several top-10 marks in different statistical categories across Division III basketball, including: Three pointers per game (3^rd / 12.5), free throw percentage (5^th / 79.7%), three point attempts per game (5^th / 32.3), scoring margin (7^th / 16.6), rebound margin (7^th / 9.1), and assist to turnover ratio (10^th / 1.51).

Sabet leads the team in scoring at 19.1 points per game, which stands as the fourth-most in the A-R-C. Molstead, who is making his return back to Wartburg after a strong four-year career with the Knights, is second on the team with his average of 13.8, followed by Haynes at 13.8. Haynes continues to lead the country in field goal percentage, sitting at 70.3, while Sabet is the nation's leader in free throw percentage at 94.5 percent.

As a team, the Duhawks average 88.1 points per game, while limiting its opponents to a mark of 71.5. The Duhawks hold an advantage in rebounding, pulling in 38.6 per game while allowing teams to record 29.5.  

SCOUTING THE KNIGHTS
Wartburg has a record of 3-17 overall with a 2-9 mark in the A-R-C. The Knights average 71.8 points per game but allow 82.6 points per contest to their opponents. The Orange and Black are being out-shot 46.8 percent to 42.7 percent from the field, as well as behind the arc (35.3 percent to 33.1 percent).

Senior forward Marshun Williams averages a team-high 14.2 points per game, followed by sophomore guard Luke Ladwig. Williams pulls in 5.7 rebounds to lead the team, followed by senior center Trent Allard with 4.7. Ladwig leads the team with 58 assists.

A-R-C STANDINGS
1. Coe College: 17-3 overall, 9-2 A-R-C
2. Loras College: 16-2 overall, 7-2 A-R-C
3. Nebraska Wesleyan: 17-3 overall, 8-3 A-R-C
4. Central: 14-6 overall, 8-3 A-R-C
5. Dubuque: 15-4 overall, 6-4 A-R-C
6. Buena Vista: 11-8 overall, 4-6 A-R-C
7. Simpson College: 8-11 overall, 2-8 A-R-C
8. Wartburg College: 3-17 overall, 2-9 A-R-C
9. Luther College: 6-14 overall, 1-10 A-R-C
 
D3HOOPS.COM TOP-25 RANKINGS
Loras climbed up the rankings in the week eight D3hoops.com Top 25 list, making its highest appearance since the 2018-19 season at No. 20. The full list is as follows:

1. Hampden-Sydney
2. John Carroll
3. Trine
4. Trinity (Conn.)
5. Oswego State
6. Guilford
7. Keene State
8. Randolph-Macon
9. Trinity (Texas)
10. New York University
11. Case Western Reserve
12. Calvin
13. Cal Lutheran
14. UW-Platteville
15. Catholic
16. Mount Union
17. Washington U.
18. Johns Hopkins
19. Widener
20. Loras
21. Tufts
22. DeSales
23. Nebraska Wesleyan
24. Emory
25. Christopher Newport
 
THE SERIES
The series is almost at a standstill, with Wartburg holding a slight advantage at 24-23. Loras is in the midst of a three-game winning streak over the Knights, with its most recent match up ending in a 100-89 victory on Nov. 29. 2023.