DUBUQUE, Iowa – The second-seeded Loras College men's basketball team defeated its crosstown rival, the No. 4 seed University of Dubuque Spartans, in the American Rivers Conference Tournament championship game on Saturday night.
The game was intense throughout, and the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center was packed with a season-high 1,300 attendees. Loras (20-7 overall, 12-4 A-R-C) got the scoring started quickly with an easy layup from Jack Haynes assisted by Gavin Sarvis. The University of Dubuque (18-10, 9-7) was able to claim its first lead on a jump shot to bring the score to 8-7 just over four minutes into the game. A back-and-forth affair ensued in a first half that saw four total lead changes and after a hard-fought half, the Duhawks went into the locker room with a two-point deficit (33-31).
The second half was an impressive display of Duhawk basketball from the beginning. The first two minutes of the second half saw the Purple and Gold go on a 9-0 run to make the score 40-33 with just under 18 minutes left to play. Dubuque, despite their valiant efforts, was unable to reclaim their lead for the remainder of the game. They were outscored by the Duhawks 52-29 in the second half thanks to the offensive explosion from head coach Chris Martin's squad. The Duhawks would go on an 11-1 run to end the game. A late steal by Jim Navarrete followed by a fast break layup from Cooper Grams secured the A-R-C tournament championship for Loras. The Duhawks have now won the A-R-C tournament championship in two out of the last three seasons.
The Purple and Gold were led by freshman sensation Damyen Jackson who had a career-high 24 points on 62 percent (8-of-13) shooting paired with five assists. Haynes followed with 23 points and nine rebounds, while Sarvis and Kyle Kober rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points apiece. As a team, the Duhawks shot 47 percent (30-of-64) from the field and 34 percent (9-of-26) from beyond the arc. Every player who suited up for Loras saw time on the court in a rare occurrence.
Up Next: The Duhawks will learn their first round opponent in the NCAA Division III Tournament following the selection show on Monday, March 2 at 12 p.m. CT.
