DUBUQUE, Iowa - With a 78-67 comeback win over the Central College Dutch on Saturday afternoon and a little help from around the A-R-C, the University of Dubuque men's basketball team clinches at least a share of the American Rivers Conference regular season title for the 11th time in program history and fourth under head coach Robbie Sieverding.

After giving up 44 first half points to the Dutch, the Spartans were able to settle in nice defensively, allowing just 23 Central points in the final 20 minutes. The Spartans trailed by as many as 14 points (37-23) in the late stages of the first half, before a 14-7 run cut the Dutch lead in half going into the break. 

The Spartans came out with some fire to open the second half, going on a 25-11 run in the first 11:10 of the second half to extend their lead to 62-55. Central made a late push to get to within 66-64, but the Spartans finished the final 4:53 on a 12-3 run to win by double digits.

Jaylin McCants finished with a team-high 17 points and 10 rebounds for his second consecutive double double and fourth of the season. Jalen Scott arguably had one of his best performances in conference play against the Dutch finishing with 16 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and knocked down four of the Spartans eight made shots from the three-point line.

Jacob Williams added 13 points on 6-9 shooting and Grady Thompson scored 12 points. 

The Spartans shot 27-59 (45.8%) from the field and won the points off turnovers battle 17-6. The Spartans also got out in transition, winning the fast break points 16-4 over the Dutch. There was three ties and six lead changes throughout the game. 

Hear from Robbie Sieverding
"Our guys battled and played an impressive second half, holding a very good Central team to 23 points. We ended up with four guys in double figures as Jaylin had a solid game playing through foul trouble. Jalen Scott and Grady both were great in the second half. We clinched at least a share of the conference title and really proud of this group and how much they have improved throughout the season. Regular season  championships are extremely hard to win and this group has been resilient."

The Spartans improve to 18-5 overall and 12-2 in conference play. To secure the outright A-R-C regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, all the Spartans will need to do is win one of the final two regular season games (at Coe, vs Loras)

Up Next
The final road trip of the regular season will be at Coe College against the Kohawks on Wednesday, February 19 at 7:30 p.m.