WAVERLY, Iowa – Wartburg men's basketball is set to hit the road for an American Rives Conference matchup at Loras College on Wednesday, Jan. 19 with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 19 – 7:30 p.m. – Dubuque, Iowa – Lillis Court
Wartburg Knights (13-3, 6-1 A-R-C) at Loras Duhawks
(11-4, 3-3 A-R-C)
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Last Time Out
The Knights fell to Buena Vista University in a highly competitive 88-84 shootout on Saturday, Jan. 15.
The Orange & Black jumped out to a 14-9 lead five minutes into the game and neither team was able to pull away from the other. The Knights continued to lead with just over 10 minutes left in the half after a
Cade Daugherty three-ball made the score 20-15.
Wartburg would stretch the lead to 10 points, but the Beavers put together an 11-0 run to take the lead with four minutes left in the first. After trading baskets, BVU never looked back in the first half and took a 49-43 into the break.
The Knights spent the beginning of the second half chipping away at BVU's lead, but steady scoring from the Beavers kept the Orange & Black behind. The Beavers would take their largest lead with 16:45 to play after a layup made the score 55-45.
Wartburg went on a 12-0 run, capped off by a
Donovon Smith three-pointer, over the next three minutes to tie the game at 55 all. After a
Jack Molstead three-pointer with 2:22 to play, the score was tied 79-79. Garrett Sittner had the immediate answer to make the score 81-79, but
Drew Olson took it to the hoop and got a bucket to tie it up again at 81. A Zane Neubaum three-pointer put the Beavers ahead for good as BVU held on to win 88-84. Sittner finished with 38 points, while teammate Michael Demers scored 20 for Buena Vista.
Season Leaders
Olson is leading the Knights in scoring this season, averaging 16.5 points per game from 52.6% from the field and a 43.2% mark from three. The Osage, Iowa native adds 4.9 assists per game as well as a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game. The senior guard is leading the conference in steals with 3.8 per game, which ranks third among all Division III players this season.
Molstead helps pace the offense with a team-high 5.2 assists per game, which is second among the A-R-C. The junior guard is averaging 13.5 points per game from 43.2% shooting from the field and 40.6% from three-point range. Molstead adds 4.5 rebounds defensively and leads the Knights in minutes this season.
Keagan John has had career-high three-point shooting performances in his last two games with four and then five threes made. John currently leads the Knights in threes made this season with 30, and in three-point percentage with 44.8%. His 44.8% mark from three is tied for fifth best in the A-R-C.
Loras
The Duhawks enter the contest with an 11-4 record and a 3-3 ledger in conference play, which puts them at fourth in A-R-C standings. In its last contest, Loras was defeated by the University of Dubuque 70-64 in a close road loss.
This matchup will feature the A-R-C's top offenses as these teams rank first or second in scoring, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. As a team, Wartburg currently averages 80.1 points scored per game (No. 2 in A-R-C), 50.4% from the field (No. 1 in A-R-C), and a 35.6% mark from beyond the arc (No.2 in A-R-C). In comparison, Loras averages 90.1 points per game (No. 1 in A-R-C), 50.2% from the field (No. 2 in A-R-C) and are shooting 38.3% from three (No. 1 in A-R-C).
The Duhawks are led offensively by Rowan McGowen and Ali Sabet, who average 16.9 and 15.9 points per game respectively. McGowen ranks fourth in the conference in scoring and is shooting 43.8% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc. Sabet is seventh in scoring among the A-R-C, while shooting 47.2% from the field and a 43.2% mark from three. Sabet also leads the team in assists with 3.2 per game.
Series History
This will be the 96
th meeting between the schools dating back to 1950. Wartburg leads the all-time series 55-40 and have won four of the last five matchups. The most recent contest was at Loras where the Duhawks defeated Wartburg 84-80 in February of 2021.
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