CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The third-seeded Loras College (RV) men's basketball team prevailed in the American Rivers Conference Semifinals with an upset win over the No. 2-seeded Coe College Kohawks, 76-73, on Thursday night inside the Kohawk Arena.

Senior guard Ali Sabet led the Purple and Gold with 14 points and was an efficient 6-of-7 (87.5 percent) from the free throw line. Declan Ciurlik and Myles Barry each had 12 points while Gavin Sarvis and Jared Pearson each chipped in nine.

Coe (21-5, 13-3) was led by Cael Schmitt and Bennett Sherry, who each finished with 18 points. Cooper Nailor was the lone other Kohawk to finish in double-digits at 13 points.

The two teams exchanged blows through the game's first nine minutes, as Coe led it 19-16 with 10:57 to play in the first half. The Kohawks went on to lead by as much as eight before Myles Barry went on a 9-2 run against Coe to bring the Duhawks within three at the 6:38 mark. A jumper by Sarvis combined with a basket by Pearson in the final two minutes of play gave Loras a 36-46 advantage at the break.

The second half began with Loras clicking on all cylinders, leading by seven at two seperate points, but Coe would respond swiftly and eventually lead 70-62 with 6:25 to play.

A quick 5-0 run by Ciurlik brought Loras within three before baskets by Sabet, Savris, and Alex Singleton would give the Purple and Gold its first lead (73-72) of the second half with 3:06 to play.

At 2:04, Sabet scored on a layup to put the Duhawks up three, but a foul with 31 seconds to play put Schmitt at the line for Coe, where he would eventually only manage to go 1-for-2, giving Loras the ball up two (75-73).

Pearson drew a foul by Coe and was able to make his first from the charity stripe before missing on the second, giving the Kohawks one last chance to tie things up before the end of regulation.

Back-to-back misses from three-point territory sealed the deal for the Duhawks, giving Loras its first win over Coe during the 2023-24 season and sending the Purple and Gold to its fifth conference title game in program history with hopes of bringing home its first A-R-C Tournament title.

The Duhawks (22-5, 11-5) will play in the championship game for the second-straight season when it takes to Lincoln, Neb. to face the No. 1-seeded Prairie Wolves of Nebraska Wesleyan on Saturday (#17), Feb. 24. Timing for Saturday's championship has yet to be announced.