DUBUQUE, Iowa - The University of Dubuque men's basketball team opened up their 2025-26 season against the DePauw University Tigers in the Loras Classic. The Spartans trailed by eight with three minutes remaining in the game, but a Spartans' 13-4 run over the final minutes, capped off by a Jacob Williams go-ahead layup with eight seconds left gave the Spartans a thrilling 86-85 comeback win over the Tigers. 

The Spartans trailed in the opening six minutes of the game, but the Spartans would grab their first lead of the night after freshman Ethan Henderson scored his first career points to give the Spartans a 11-10 lead. Both teams went back and forth through much of the first half, but a small run by the Tigers gave them a six point lead at the half.

The Spartans flipped the momentum to open the second half, especially from point guard Jalen Scott who scored eight of the Spartans' first 11 points to give them a 45-42 lead just a little over three minutes into the second half. The Spartans held their largest lead of the game (50-45) with 15:18 left in the game, but the Tigers would build their lead back up to 85-77 and after a Tiger's layup with 1:51 left. The Tigers would never score again. 

The full court pressure by the Spartans was too much for the Tigers to handle, as the Spartans were able to force three turnovers in the final minute and a half. The final turnover by the Spartans came in the closing seconds as Grady Thompson got his hand on a pass that Jacob Williams would take himself, scoring the game-winning layup with just eight seconds remaining. The Tigers quickly went to the other end of the floor and had two quality looks at the winning basket, but neither were able to fall. 

Hear from Robbie Sieverding
"What a game to start the year! We stole one and will certainly take the win, but we have many things to improve upon. Really proud of our fight and the guys just kept stepping up down the stretch. Grady hit a couple big threes and Jacob was really impressive all night. Jalen Scott also provided a big spark with six steals that led to some easy baskets."

Williams finished with a game-high 25 points on 9-13 shooting. The sophomore was able to knock down three of his four three-point attempts and was perfect at the free throw line (4-4). Jalen Scott added 19 points on 9-11 shooting with six steals and four assists, while Henderson finished with 12 points in his first career collegiate game. Thompson was the fourth Spartan in double figures with 12 points and also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. 

Up Next
The Spartans will play their home opener on Wednesday, November 12 at 7:00 p.m. against Edgewood. The Spartans will be looking to avenge a heartbreaking buzzer beater loss a season ago against the Eagles.