DUBUQUE, Iowa - Wartburg men's basketball rallied back from a 15-point second-half deficit but its comeback fell short when the Knights suffered an 80-84 defeat to the hands of Loras College on Thursday, Feb. 18 on Lillis Court. Wartburg was led by junior guard Drew Olson who tallied 16 points on a 60% clip from the field. 

The Orange & Black (2-6, 0-4 A-R-C) will continue American Rivers Conference action on Monday, Feb. 22 when they travel to Decorah, Iowa to take on Luther College (0-3, 0-3) at 8 p.m. 

The Knights, who competed in their first game since Feb. 3, limped out of the gate as Loras went on a 16-5 run to begin the contest. Wartburg made it a five-point game midway through the first half before the Duhawks pushed their lead back to 12 behind strong shooting from the floor and foul line. Junior guard Cade Daugherty was the bright spot for the Knights in the first when he finished the period 2-of-3 from the field. Wartburg shot 39.3% from the floor and entered halftime facing a 10-point deficit. 

Loras continued to frustrate the Knights in the opening minutes of the second half when they pushed their advantage to a game-high 15 points. However, Wartburg ripped off a 20-3 run and gained a nine-point advantage with just five minutes to play. Loras was able to weather the storm and climbed back into the contest as it was knotted up at 79 apiece with 42 seconds left. Wartburg made some costly turnovers down the stretch and the Duhawks converted on their free-throws to clinch the four-point victory. 

In addition to Olson's 16 points, junior guard Keagan John added 13 and senior Broden Coulter tallied a season-best 11 off the bench. Freshman Trent Allard notched a team-high seven rebounds to go along with his two blocks and two steals, which were both career-bests for the forward. Sophomore guard Jack Molstead led the Knights in the assist column with a game-high five helpers. 

Wartburg finished the contest 47.5% from the floor, 32.1% from beyond the arc and 78.9% from the foul line.