INDIANOLA, Iowa – The University of Dubuque men's basketball team used a dominant second-half surge to power past Simpson College, earning an 81-67 victory on the road.

The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with Simpson holding the lead for much of the period before Dubuque rallied late to take a slim 36-32 advantage into halftime.

The Spartans came out firing in the second half, unleashing a game-changing 20-0 run that pushed their lead to 67-49 with just over seven minutes remaining. Grady Thompson led the charge during the run, scoring 12 of his game-high 23 points to help UD pull away.

Jaylin McCants added 19 points, while Jalen Scott with another 15 points, six rebounds, and an impressive six steals to fuel the Spartans' victory.

Dubuque's defense played a pivotal role, forcing 24 turnovers. The Spartans also dominated on the boards, with McCants, Scott, and Nick Kennedy each grabbing six rebounds. UD shot 41.1% from the field and hit eight three-pointers for a 30.8% 3-Point percentage . 

"We got off to a slow start and credit Simpson who came out ready and made plays early," commented head coach Robbie Sieverding. "I thought our press and pressure in the second half really got us going as we went on a big scoring run. Grady and Jaylin both scored the ball well for us and Jalen Scott was active and ended with six steals and another nice game. Big week with academic finals this week then a tough match-up against a very good Nebraska Wesleyan University team."