NAPERVILLE, Ill. – The Loras College men's basketball team picked up a 73-69 nonconference win over North Central College on Saturday afternoon inside Gregory Arena.

The two squads traded baskets early on with neither team leading by more than five in the first 16 minutes of play. A three-pointer from Kyle Kober put the Duhawks ahead for the final time (23-21) of the night with 8:22 remaining in the opening half. Loras (3-1, 0-0 A-R-C) went into the break with a 38-35 advantage over the home team.

The Purple and Gold extended its lead to as many as nine multiple times over the course of the second half. North Central (0-3, 0-0 CCIW) cut the deficit to just two (71-69) with 54 seconds left to play thanks to a pair of free throws from Alejandro Diaz but clutch free throws from Gavin Sarvis and Nolan Berendes put the Duhawks ahead by four (73-69) as time expired.

Sarvis paced the Loras offense with 17 points, adding two steals and five assists to his stat line as well. Emmett Loew and Kober followed closely behind with 14 and 13 points respectively, while Berendes rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points. Berendes and Jack Haynes also pulled down 11 and 10 boards for the Duhawks respectively. As a team, the Purple and Gold shot 41 percent (25-of-61) from the floor and 33.3 percent (11-of-33) from downtown.

James Bullock led the way for the Cardinals with 23 points, while Diaz finished with 14 points on the night. As a team, North Central shot 39.7 percent (25-of-63) from the field and 40 percent (8-of-20) from behind the arc.

Up Next: The Duhawks travel to Superior, Wis. to take on the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets on Saturday, Nov. 29. Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m. from Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.