DUBUQUE, Iowa - Despite a career-high 33 points from junior guard Grady Thompson, the University of Dubuque men's basketball team fell in the closing seconds to the Buena Vista University Beavers on Saturday afternoon in the Stoltz Sports Center.

The Spartans would trail for the first 10 minutes of the game and after trailing by five they would use a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the afternoon 22-18 with 9:08 left in the first half. The Beavers would then go on an 11-0 run to go back up by seven, before the Spartans closed the gap to tie the game at the half at 33-all. 

The Beavers opened the second half on a 14-5 run to go back up by nine just four and a half minutes into the half. The Spartans cut the deficit back to two with 14 minutes left, but the Beavers would build their largest lead of the game 61-49 with 8:37 left.

The Spartans made one final run down the stretch, using a 15-5 run to get back within two with under three minutes to go. Thompson would score the Spartans' final nine points, which included a brief 5-0 that featured a pair of free throws and a game-tying three-pointer with 25 seconds remaining. 

On the final possession of the game the Beavers would score a tough bucket with four seconds left. The Spartans would get one final shot off to potentially win the game, but the shot fell just short. 

Thompson's recorded a career-high 33 points on 11-19 shooting, 5-9 from the three-point line in 36 minutes on the floor. The junior was also a perfect 6-6 at the free throw line and grabbed four rebounds. Jacob Williams scored 13 points which is now his 10th game scoring in double figures this season.

Joey Coppola IV was great on the defensive end of the floor, finishing with five steals and had crucial steals in the late stages of the game. 

Hear from Robbie Sieverding
"Our guys battled to make a great comeback, but we dug ourselves into a hole early in the second half. Grady made some big plays for us offensively and I thought Josh provided a spark off the bench as well. We need to continue to improve as we try to find more consistent play on both ends."

The Spartans fall to 8-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play. 

Up Next
The Spartans will be back at home next Wednesday, January 7 when they host the Wartburg College Knights at 7:30 p.m. from the Stoltz Sports Center.