PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – Behind 23 points from Tyler Bass, No. 20 Loras College earned an 89-64 win over Gustavus Adolphus in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament on Friday night at Williams Fieldhouse on the campus of UW-Platteville.

Bass was an efficient 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) from the field to lead all scorers. The junior forward out of Washington, Ill. was equally as efficient from the free throw line, where he went 5-for-7. He also finished the game as Loras' top rebounder, pulling in eight.

"We talked about just being really physical," said Bass. "When you play with guys like Ali (Sabet), Jackson (Molstead), and Myles (Barry), they make it really easy to get me the ball in space and allow me to create."

The Duhawks (24-5 overall) saw its veteran core handle business from the start as senior guard Myles Barry knocked down the game's first shot, a corner three merely 20 seconds into play. Barry would go on to finish with 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting, including an unblemished 2-for-2 from deep. Fellow seniors Ali Sabet and Declan Ciurlik closed out the game with 14 and 11 points, respectively, to help Loras to the program's first postseason win in five years.

"We're automatically better coaches when I've got a bunch of old dudes out there," said head coach Chris Martin. "You can trust those guys. They've gone through the ringers and have gone through those ups and downs. We've had some average seasons – I think last year we were 17-11, which is pretty average for us. The guys just wanted more. They worked really hard."

Gavin Sarvis put together his best game of the season, as the sophomore finished with a season-high 16 points on 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) shooting, including a perfect 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.

"Give Gavin Sarvis some credit over the last few weeks," Martin remarked. "Gavin's a guy who was highly recruited and has really gone through some ups and downs, especially through his sophomore year. But tonight, he was 7-for-8, shooting a high percentage, taking good shots, and being disciplined."

As a team, the Purple and Gold shot 59 percent (36-of-61) from the floor in addition to 44.4 percent (8-for-14) from three-point territory. Loras did most of its work inside the paint, as the Duhawks scored 56 points near the basket, a mark that was 32 points more than that of Gustavus Adolphus (18-11).

The two programs played a close first nine minutes, as Loras' largest lead over that period was just seven points. Up 17-15 with 10:56 to play in the first half, Loras embarked on a 9-0 run to go up double digits (26-15), where it would stay for most of the game. The Purple and Gold closed out the first half on a 30-10 run that was highlighted by Sabet and Bass scoring nine points apiece.

The second half saw the Golden Gusties get within 16 points (49-33) at 17:30, but that would be the closest it could get before time expired.

The atmosphere at Bo Ryan's Court was something that athletes dream of playing in front of at this time of the year. The Loras faithful showed out, filling the stands with purple and giving the Duhawks the homecourt advantage from the opening tip. With every made basket steal, and highlight, the sold out crowd went wild. On the biggest stage of the season, the crowd provided every bit of momentum it could to assist Loras to victory.

"We don't shy away from big moments," said Martin. "We love it. We love the crowd. We love it when teams hate us. We thrive on those kinds of things."

The Duhawks' next big moment will come tomorrow as the program heads into the Round of 32 to face the 11th-ranked UW-Platteville Pioneers. Tip in tomorrow's regional final is set for 7:50 p.m.