LINCOLN, Neb. - After winning the last six matchups with the Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) Prairie Wolves, the University of Dubuque men's basketball team was unable to put together enough offensive possessions as the #19 Prairie Wolves defeated the Spartans 43-59. 

The Spartans had won the last six matchups against NWU including a 72-57 victory back on November 21 which is one of NWU's only two losses this season.

Jaylin McCants scored the first six points of the game for the Spartans as both teams were knotted at 6-6 through the first six minutes of the game. Neither team was able to string enough offensive possessions to lead by more than four as NWU held a 16-20 lead with 6:50 to go in the first half. After back-to-back three-pointers by the Spartans, they were able to tie the game at 22-22 with four minutes remaining. The Spartans would finish the final four minutes scoreless, whereas NWU got two consecutive buckets by Peter Lash in the final minute to lead 22-27 at the half. 

NWU started the second half on a 8-3 run over the first 5:30 of the second half to lead by as many as 10 and would continue to build their lead as big as 19 points with just under two minutes left in the game. NWU played a 1-3-1 zone all night and the Spartans were able to get some good looks in the paint, but NWU forced the Spartans to take the outside shot more often. 

Hear from Robbie Sieverding
"Nebraska Wesleyan played really well tonight and we couldn't find enough offense to survive. I thought we got some good looks but really struggled against their zone. We also need to do a better job taking care of the basketball. Looking forward to getting to the Stoltz Sports Center this weekend."

The Spartans struggled shooting from beyond the arc going 5-26 (19.2%). Shooting from the field was slightly better at 33.3%. The Spartans scored their lowest total this season by 16 points (59 at Coe - 1/10). 

Jaylin McCants finished with a team-high 12 points along with seven rebounds. Brock Simon added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds, seven assists. 

The Spartans move to 14-4 overall and 6-4 in conference play. 

Up Next
The Spartans will play a non-conference game at home against Edgewood College on Saturday, January 27 at 2:00 p.m. in the final non-conference game of the season.