DECORAH, Iowa - The University of Dubuque men's basketball team got back into the win column on Wednesday night with a 71-47 road victory over the Luther College Norse. The Spartans' 47 points allowed were a season-low against any opponent this season.
The Spartans and Norse were back and forth over the course of the first eight minutes of the game. The Norse last lead tonight with 12:02 left in the first half, leading 11-9. The Spartans then went on a 25-9 run over the final 12 minutes to lead 34-20 at the half.
The Spartans would maintain their double-digit lead throughout the first 10 minutes of the second half and even built their lead to 51-32 with 9:44 remaining. The Norse would proceed to go on their biggest run of the night with a 15-3 spurt in three and a half minutes that trimmed the Spartans lead to 54-47.
The Spartans quickly erased the Norse momentum with back-to-back threes from both
Grady Thompson and
Dylan Hibicke to go back up 60-47. The Spartans held the Norse scoreless over the final 4:22 to pick up their fourth conference win of the season.
Thompson had a game-high 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Thompson was an efficient 5-7 from the floor, along with 3-4 from three and a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line.
Jacob Williams recorded his second double-double of the season, finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
Joey Coppola IV added 10 points and was 3-5 from three-point range.
The Spartans were much more efficient from three-point range tonight, shooting 10-21 (47.6%) and were able to get out in transition with 24 fast break points, compared to just five points from the Norse.
Hear from Robbie Sieverding
"I thought our team was much more connected defensively tonight. We got off to a good start with a handful of people playing quality minutes. We were also able to take care of the basketball and did a solid job on the glass."
The Spartans are now 11-6 overall and 4-4 in conference play.
Up Next
The Spartans will have an off day with the conference scheduling on Saturday before heading across town to face the Loras College Duhawks next Wednesday, January 28. The Spartans will be looking to even the season series with a road win against the Duhawks at 7:30 p.m. from Lillis Court.
