DUBUQUE, Iowa - Before the tip, there was a different energy inside Stoltz Sports Center on Wednesday evening and it meant only one thing...cross-town rival, Loras College was in the building. Students from both schools were loud for their teams, but the Spartan faithful was in full force down the stretch as the University of Dubuque men's basketball team edged the Duhawks 66-61 for their fifth straight win.
Last time these two teams faced was on Lillis Court on the campus of Loras College where the Duhawks held on for the 86-74 victory back in early January.
The Spartans were ready to play as they raced out to a quick 7-0 lead in the first two minutes which was capped off by a
Brock Simon three-pointer. On the defensive end, the Spartans were able to force the Duhawks into difficult shots, holding them to only four points in the first six minutes of the first half.
Keegan Zimmerman's lone three on the night came at the 9:22 mark of the first half giving the Spartans their largest lead of the night at 24-12. The Duhawks were able to chip away at the Spartans lead in the final minutes of the first half, but the Spartans still lead by five at 34-29 going into the half.
The Spartans would be able to increase their lead back to 12 points at the 12:50 mark of the second half and would answer every time the Duhawks worked to trim the lead. After
Sam Kilburg made a layup with 5:34 to go in the game and the Spartans leading 59-48, the Spartans would not score another field goal the rest of the way. Luckily, the Spartans were able to go 7-10 from the free throw line down the stretch. The Duhawks did have their chance down three with :06 left, but after their timeout, they would make a bad pass giving the ball right back to the Spartans. Senior,
Hunter Snyder would ice the game at the line knocking down two free throws to secure the victory.
Simon led the Spartans with 16 points on 4-9 (44.4%) shooting from the floor, seven rebounds, and four assists in 32 minutes. Off the bench,
Bryce Prochaska would add 13 points on 5-7 (71.4%) on the floor. As a team, the Spartans shot 47.1% from the floor, 26.3% from three, and 65% from the free throw line.
The Spartans were able to force 12 turnovers turning them into 12 points. The Spartans won the points in the paint battle 38-30 over the Duhawks and had an extra 10 points of production from their bench.
"What a great college basketball game and a great environment tonight on Jon Davison Court in Stoltz Sports Center," commented head coach
Robbie Sieverding. "Thanks to all the fans and students who came out and it a great atmosphere. Bryce gave us a nice lift off the bench and our bench has been pretty solid all year. I thought our guys really played hard and guarded well holding them to 61 points. We have big game left at Luther on Saturday, they have been playing well and we will need to put together 40 solid minutes."
The Spartans now move to 18-6 overall and 11-4 in conference play. With one game left in conference play on Saturday, the Spartans currently would have the #2 seed in next week's A-R-C Tournament earning the tiebreaker of Nebraska Wesleyan.
Scenarios for #1 seed
Central LOSS at Simpson AND University of Dubuque WIN at Luther
*Would earn tiebreaker over Central with head-to-head results against Neb. Wesleyan
Scenarios for #2 seed
University of Dubuque WIN at Luther OR Neb. Wesleyan LOSS at Coe
Scenarios for #3 seed
University of Dubuque LOSS at Luther AND Neb. Wesleyan WIN at Coe
Up Next
The Spartans will finish out the regular season at Luther College on Saturday, February 18 at 4:00 p.m. After Saturday's results, the Spartans will then either host on Tuesday or Thursday in the A-R-C Tournament.
