DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Loras College men's basketball team handed crosstown rival, the University of Dubuque, its first loss of the season, 84-69, in its American Rivers Conference opener Wednesday night.

During the first 20 minutes of play, neither team led by more than five points, until a Kyle Kober layup with three seconds remaining gave the Duhawks a seven-point (39-32) advantage heading into the break.

The University of Dubuque (5-1, 0-1 A-R-C) cut the deficit to three (42-39) with 17:20 left to play following a Grady Thompson free throw, but Loras (5-1, 1-0) was able to further extend its lead over the course of the second half. The Purple and Gold led by as many as 22 (76-54) with just under five minutes remaining in the contest, before earning their first conference win of the season by a score of 84-69.

Kober paced the Duhawks offense, scoring a career-high 25 points, after shooting 9-of-14 from the floor. Jack Haynes tallied his third double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 17 rebounds on the night. Nolan Berendes contributed 11 points and seven rebounds as well as a game-high three steals. Damyen Jackson made an impact for Loras off the bench, totaling 12 points, eight of which came from the foul line. As a team, the Purple and Gold shot 41.7 percent (30-of-72) from the field and 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the charity stripe.

Jacob Williams led the way for the Spartans with 25 points, while Ethan Henderson totaled 15 points on the night. As a team, Dubuque shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) from the floor and 53.6 percent (15-of-28) from the free throw line.
 
Up Next: The Duhawks travel to Indianola, Iowa to take on the Simpson College Storm on Saturday, Dec. 6. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. from Cowles Fieldhouse.