WAVERLY, Iowa – The Wartburg College Knights men's basketball squad (9-5 overall, 3-2 A-R-C) won its second-straight game by defeating the Luther College Norse (6-7, 0-5) 85-74 on Wednesday evening.
 
Senior guard Jaran Sabus (Urbandale) led the team with 32 points, while fellow senior guard Cam Kickbush (Reinbeck) added in an additional 22 points as the pair combined for 54 of the 85 points scored tonight. Freshman forward Aidan Weber (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Sabus secured in seven rebounds each, good for a tie for the team lead.
 
The Knights struck first merely 11 seconds into the game when Sabus connected on a layup to give Wartburg the early 2-0 lead. The two teams exchanged baskets for the next 10-plus minutes, where the Knights held onto the slim 19-17 lead with 9:07 left in the first. A 24-17 Wartburg run put the Knights up 10 (43-33) with 2:29 left in the first half. Luther's Gage Thompson connected on layup and an and-one basket to quickly cut the lead to seven, but a layup by Kickbush and a last-second three-pointer by Sabus closed out the half with the Orange and Black up 48-38.
 
Wartburg maintained a double-digit lead for a majority of the second half, before baskets by the Norse's Jared Nicolaisen and James Kappus got Luther within five of the Knights (73-68) with 3:07 left to play. Free throws by sophomore guard Max Smith Drahos (Cedar Rapids) and baskets by Kickbush and Sabus would put the Knights back up by double-digits and would seal the deal as Wartburg escaped 85-74.
 
The Knights led the Norse in field goal percentage (49.2% - 40.6%), three-point field goal percentage (36.8% - 28.1%), rebounds (43-31) and assists (13-11). The Norse led in free throw percentage (86.7% - 69.6%) and steals (8-5). The two teams blocked two shots apiece.
 
The Knights return to action this Saturday, Jan. 12 as they travel to face the No. 1 ranked Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves (14-0, 5-0) with tip-off at 4 p.m.