WAVERLY, Iowa - Wartburg men's basketball will resume American Rivers Conference action on Thursday, Feb. 18 when it travels to Dubuque, Iowa to take on Loras College at 5:30 p.m. on Lillis Court. The Knights will also look to extend their winning streak against the Duhawks to five straight games. 

Thursday, Feb. 18 - 5:30 p.m. - Dubuque, Iowa - Lillis Court
Wartburg Knights (2-5, 0-3 A-R-C) at Loras College (4-2, 2-1 A-R-C) 

Series Record: Wartburg leads 55-39
Last Five Meetings: 
Feb. 25, 2020 -- W, 79-74 (Waverly)
Feb. 19, 2020 -- W, 84-81 (Dubuque)
Jan. 11, 2020 -- W, 83-65 (Waverly)
Jan. 23, 2019 -- W, 88-83 (Waverly)
Dec. 5, 2018 -- L, 90-91 (Dubuque) 

Attendance Policy 
Two individuals per each participant (student-athlete/coach/staff member) will be permitted to attend basketball, volleyball, and wrestling home events. Spectators must check in at the registration tables located at each entrance. Seating for spectators will be designated. Physical distancing and face coverings will be required, according to campus policy. Spectators must be seated with family members only.
 
SPECTATORS WILL BE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW CAMPUS MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES. LEARN MORE HERE.

Season Notes 
The Knights currently hold a 2-5 overall record and are still searching for their first conference win of the season. Wartburg is scoring 72.9 points per game and have a scoring margin of -3.5. The Orange & Black are shooting at a 42.2% clip from the floor, 31.5% from long range and 59.9% from the free-throw line. They are also out rebounding their opponents by three boards per contest and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of .9. 

Junior forward Davis Roquet paces the team in points with an average of 8.7 a game while fellow forward Trent Allard has recorded a team-high 6.4 rebounds per contest, which ranks sixth in the conference. Sophomore guard Jack Molstead leads the program in assists per game and ranks tied for fifth in the A-R-C with 3.3. Senior Max Smith Drahos is the vocal point on the defensive side with 1.7 steals, which is good for third best in the conference. 

Opponents are scoring an average of 76.4 points against the Knights while shooting 43.6% from the floor, 33.7% from 3-point land and 65.6% from the charity stripe. 

Last Time Out
Wartburg men's basketball suffered an 82-84 overtime defeat to the hands of Coe College on Wednesday, Feb. 3 inside Levick Arena. The Knights were led by sophomore guard Molstead who finished with a season-high 18 points and four rebounds. 

The Knights came out of the gate strong, shooting 57.1% from long range and 51.9% from the floor in the first half. Charles City, Iowa native Molstead got hot early when he converted on his opening three attempts and tallied eight points in the first five minutes. Senior guard Drahos went a perfect 2-of-2 from the field in the first while fellow senior Ryan Stulken knocked in a pair of threes on a 66.6% clip. Molstead finished the half with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting including a perfect 3-of-3 from 3-point land. 

Wartburg struggled to find the basket in the second half but still managed to push its lead to nine with 6:27 remaining before the Kohawks made a 9-0 rally to tie the contest with 4:41 to play. The Knights faced a one-point deficit with a minute left but forced back-to-back Coe turnovers and grabbed a two point advantage. Kohawks' guard Cael Schmitt forced overtime when he converted on a clutch jump shot with 21 seconds left to tie the game 71-71. 

Coe quickly jumped out to a five point lead in the opening two minutes of overtime behind a 50% clip from the floor. The Knights managed to make it a one possession game with 13 seconds remaining but Schmitt and Ray Thrapp went a combined 5-of-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch to secure the victory for Coe. 

In addition to Molstead's team-high 18 points, Stulken (16), junior forward Roquet (12) and senior guard Broden Coulter (6) all registered season-highs in scoring. Walford, Iowa native Stulken also added a season-high eight rebounds in the contest. The Knights finished the game 42.9% from the field, 42.9% from long range and 69.6% from the free-throw line. The contest ended with seven lead changes and six ties as Wartburg held the lead for 31 minutes. 

Loras College
The Duhawks come into the contest following a 105-97 home victory against Nebraska Wesleyan University back on Saturday, Feb. 6. Loras has had its past three games postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the program. 

The Duhawks have been scoring at a high rate as they have averaged 88.8 points in the six games played this season, which ranks second in the A-R-C. They have a scoring margin of 2.1 and have shot 45.8% from the floor, 35.2% from beyond the arc and 76.3% from the foul line. Loras is out rebounding its opponents by 4.9 boards per game and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.1. 

Loras has four players that are averaging double figures in scoring with senior forward Cole Navigato pacing the team and ranking second in the conference with 18.8 points followed by senior guard Rowan McGowen with 17.7. Navigato also leads the team in rebounds with 7.7 boards per contest and sophomore guard Jake Healy has posted a team-high 5.3 assists. 

Opponents are posting solid scoring numbers against the Duhawks with an average of 86.7 points while shooting 47.3% from the field, 36.7% from long range and 72.5% from the charity stripe.