DUBUQUE, Iowa – Headed to the American Rivers Conference Semifinals for the third-straight season, the No. 3-seeded Loras College Duhawks take to the road to face the No. 2 Coe College Kohawks on Thursday night inside Kohawk Arena in Cedar Rapids. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
 
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 LAST TIME OUT
Tyler Bass scored 24 points, while Jackson Molstead chipped in 16 as the No. 3-seeded Loras College Duhawks utilized a 34-14 run over the final 15 minutes of play to advance to the American Rivers Conference Semifinals with an 86-62 victory over the No. 6 Beavers of Buena Vista University on Tuesday night.

The Duhawks (21-5) led 54-48 with 15:27 to play in regulation. After some back-and-forth between the two conference foes, Bass scored on a layup at 11:16 to put Loras up double-digits, an advantage they'd hold for the remainder of the second half. The Purple and Gold would go on to lead it by 27 at one point, the largest of the game.

The Beavers (13-12) shot just 35.7 percent in the second half, including 1-for-8 (12.5 percent) from beyond the arc. The Duhawks couldn't seem to miss, as the team shot 50 percent (14-of-28) from the field over that frame. 

Bass went 9-of-11 (81.8 percent) from the floor, while hitting all five of his free throw attempts. The junior forward out of Washington, Ill. pulled in a team-high 13 rebounds, while also recording a block and a steal in 33 minutes of play.

Molstead went 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) from the field. The senior guard hit two three pointers, tying Jared Pearson for the team's lead. Pearson had 13 points off the bench on an efficient 3-of-4 (75 percent) shooting.

Zane Neubaum had 17 points to pace the Beavers, while Carter Sievers had 13. Neubaum had five rebounds to lead BVU, while Sievers led with two steals.

For the game, Loras shot a season-best 58.2 percent (32-of-55) from the field. The Duhawks held advantages in rebounds (37-26), assists (12-6), and blocks (3-2).
 
ABOUT THE DUHAWKS
Loras enters Thursday's matchup with the A-R-C's top offense, averaging 85.9 points per game, which stands as the 12^th-best mark in the nation. The team connects on 12.2 three pointers per game, which is the fourth-highest total in all of Division III this season.

Ali Sabet leads the way in scoring at 18.9 points per game, followed by Bass with 12.6. Others in double figures include Molstead at 12.2 and Jack Haynes at 11. Sabet is the second-best free throw shooter in the nation with his 93.2 percent mark from the free throw line, while also knocking down the third-most three pointers per game at a clip of 3.32.

Bass leads the way in rebounding at 7.4 per game, followed by Haynes with 5.9. Molstead is four assists shy (96) of breaking 100 on the season, while Myles Barry has a team-high 33 steals.

As a team, the Duhawks have a 9-3 record on the road this season, with one of its losses coming early on against Coe. The Duhawks fell 76-74 in that game but were able to get a couple looks before time expired to knot things up. That contest saw both teams shoot nearly identical from the floor, as Loras shot 25-of-55 (45.5 percent), while the Kohawks went 26-of-56 (46.4 percent).  
 
SCOUTING THE KOHAWKS
Coe earned a first-round bye in the A-R-C Tournament after earning the conference's two-seed. The Kohawks, who entered the week ranked No. 19 in the most recent d3hoops.com top-25 poll, average 76.1 points per game, a mark that stands fourth worst in the A-R-C. However, Coe more than makes up for it with its defensive play, as the program limits its opponents to 65.7 points, which is the second-best mark in the conference. Additionally, its defense limits its opponents to shooting 43.6 percent from the floor and 30 percent from beyond the arc, numbers that separate the Kohawks from most Division III programs.

Senior forward TJ Schnurr leads the team in scoring at 17.6 points per game, while shooting an efficient 53.1 percent from the floor. Cael Schmitt doesn't trail far behind, as the senior guard out of Dubuque averages 17 per contest, while also being an exceptional defender with an average of 2.43 steals per game – the second best mark in the A-R-C.

Junior forward Sherry Bennett and Schnurr are tied for the team lead in rebounding with 6.6 per game, while Bennett has the third-most blocks in the conference at 34.

The Kohawks have been tough to beat inside the confinements of home, as the team has a record of 11-2 playing inside Kohawk Arena. Its last loss at home came against Central College on Jan. 27, while the program's only other loss came against the conference's No. 1 seed, Nebraska Wesleyan University, on Jan. 14.
 
A-R-C TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
SECOND ROUND – THURSDAY, FEB. 22
No. 1 Nebraska Wesleyan University vs. No. 4 Dubuque – 7 p.m.
No. 2 Coe College vs. No. 3 Loras College – 7 p.m.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – SATURDAY, FEV. 24 – 7 P.M.
 
THE SERIES
Although recency favors the Kohawks, who have won the last three-straight, Loras owns the series record at 27 wins to 18 losses. The last Duhawk victory over Coe occurred on Feb. 1, 2023, a 79-75 thriller in Cedar Rapids.