DUBUQUE, Iowa - After trailing 35-30 at the half, the University of Dubuque men's basketball team used a strong second half to comeback and defeat the Wartburg College Knights 75-63 on Wednesday night.

The Spartans found themselves trailing 35-30 at the half after struggling to shoot from the field, making just nine shots on 34 attempts. The Knights had a nine point lead on two separate occasions in the first half, but both times the Spartans closed the gap. 

In the second half the Spartans outscored the Knights 45-28 behind a much more efficient half shooting the ball (53.57%). The Spartans grabbed their first lead of the game at 44-42 with 12:45 remaining thanks to a Joey Coppola IV three-pointer. 

The Spartans defense held the Knights to just five made field goals in the second half and held them scoreless for nearly four minutes in the later stages of the game. 

Coming off a career-high in the previous game, Grady Thompson recorded his third double-double of his career, finishing with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Thompson was a perfect 9-9 at the free throw line. Jacob Williams also posted a double-double tonight with 17 points and 10 rebounds, his first of the season and third of his career. 

After a brief hiatus, Jalen Scott came back to the starting lineup, finishing with 12 points, four assists, and was 6-7 at the free throw line. Coppola IV was big down the stretch with key steals and a block off the bench. 

Hear from Robbie Sieverding
"We were able to get going in the second half and put together some solid stretches. Grady and Jake did a good job scoring the ball and Josh and Joey also made some winning plays in the second half."

The Spartans improve to 9-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

Up Next
The Spartans will make the long road trip to Lincoln, Nebraska to play the Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m.