DUBUQUE, Iowa – Wartburg men's basketball held on for an 86-83 win over Loras College behind a balanced offensive attack from the Knights, as five Knights scored in double-digits. Wartburg moves to 14-3 overall and 7-1 in American Rivers Conference play.
Game Summary
The Knights started the first half on a 15-5 run until a
Marshun Williams three-ball made the score 18-8 just over five minutes in. The Orange & Black led 28-14 after three-pointers on back-to-back possessions from
Jack Molstead.
The largest lead of the half was 21 points, but Loras closed the half on a 15-6 run to bring the Duhawks within 12 points. Wartburg was led by Molstead, who hit three first half three-pointers in route to 11 points at the break. Williams scored nine in the first and was 4/5 from the field, including 2/2 from downtown, to help pace the Knights offense.
Jake Healy from Loras hit a three to open the second half, but Wartburg answered with a layup from
Keagan John and two three-pointers from
Davis Roquet to push the lead back to 17 points. Five minutes into the second half, Loras continued to chip away at the lead, making it 61-51 with the Orange & Black in front.
The Knights kept the Duhawks 10-15 points behind through most of the first 14 minutes of the second half and with over five minutes left to play it was still a 10-point game, 76-66 Wartburg in front. Loras continued to fight and brought the game within six points with just under four minutes to play.
The Duhawks would take their first lead since the first half with 2:13 to play after a Rowan McGowan three-pointer made the score 79-78.
Drew Olson had the answer for the Knights, drawing back-to-back fouls and making three out of four free throws to put Wartburg in front 81-79. On Olson's missed free throw, Roquet got the offensive board and made a layup with the foul to make it 84-79. Loras had a shot at the buzzer to send it to overtime, but the Orange & Black held on to win 86-83.
Wartburg's defense was able to slow down the A-R-C's top offense today by forcing them to shoot 37.1% from the field and 27.6% from three, both percentages well under their season averages. The Orange & Black finished with a mark of 56.1% from the field and 42.9% from three.
Game Leaders
Both Roquet and Molstead scored 17 tonight to lead all scorers.
Roquet's 6/6 (3/3 from three) shooting from the field tied a school record for best field goal shooting performance in a game. The senior forward also recorded six rebounds and two assists in the win. Molstead scored 17 points from 42.7% three-point shooting and a perfect four for four from the free throw line. The Charles City, Iowa native also led the Orange & Black with seven assists to pace the offense and grabbed six boards.
Williams recorded seven rebounds in the contest to lead Warturg and provided a spark on offense off the bench with 13 points. The sophomore forward shot 6/7 from the field and was one for one from beyond the arc. Williams was active defensively, leading the team with three steals and two blocks.
Olson and
Codey Hicks also recorded double-digit scoring figures tonight with 10 and 15 points respectively. Olson went 6/8 from the free throw line and grabbed six rebounds. Hicks shot an efficient 77.7% from the field for his 15 points.
Next Time Out
The Knights aren't in action again for a week, when they host the University of Dubuque on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
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