WAVERLY, Iowa – Wartburg men's basketball is set to resume American Rivers Conference play on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. inside Levick Arena against the University of Dubuque.
Wednesday, Jan. 2 – 7:30 p.m. –
Waverly, Iowa –
Levick Arena
Wartburg Knights (14-3, 7-1 A-R-C) at UD Spartans
(11-5, 6-1 A-R-C)
Watch Live | Live Stats
Last Time Out
The Knights started the first half on a 18-8 run, capped off by a
Marshun Williams three-ball. The Orange & Black extended the early lead to 28-14 after three-pointers on back-to-back possessions from
Jack Molstead.
The largest lead of the first half was 21 points for Wartburg, but Loras closed the half on a 15-6 run to bring the Duhawks within 12 points.
Loras' Jake Healy 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 still in front.
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,
Davis 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.
Roquet's shooting performance of 6/6 from the field (3/3 from three) tied a school record for highest field goal percentage in a game (min. 5 shots).
Season Leaders
Olson continues to lead the Knights in scoring with an average of 16.1 points per game, which currently ranks fourth among the A-R-C. The senior guard is shooting 51.9% from the field and 41.3% from three-point range. On the defensive side, the Osage, Iowa native is averaging a team-high 5.9 rebounds per game and has been on a tear stealing the ball, averaging 3.6 steals per contest. Olson's 3.6 steals per game lead the conference and ranks fourth best throughout all of Division III.
Molstead leads the Orange & Black in assists this season with an average of 5.3 per game, which is second best in the conference. The Charles City, Iowa native is also the Knights' second leading scorer this season, averaging 13.7 points per game from 42.6% field goal shooting and a 40.8% clip from beyond the arc.
Williams has been an effective sixth man for Wartburg, averaging 9.6 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game off the bench. The sophomore forward is shooting an efficient 55.5% from the field and is 27/34 (79.4%) from the free throw line. On defense, Williams has recorded 11 steals and nine blocks, which ranks fifth and second on the team.
University of Dubuque
The Spartans enter this game riding a five-game win streak and a record of 11-5 (6-1 A-R-C), which puts them in second place in A-R-C standings, trailing only Wartburg. This will be the second meeting between these teams this season, with Wartburg winning the first contest 77-73 in Dubuque.
This will be a matchup of clashing styles as UD currently has the conference's top defense in points allowed per game and Wartburg's offense is second in points scored per game. The Spartans are allowing an average of 66.8 points per game compared to Wartburg's 72.2 points per game. Wartburg's offense is averaging 80.5 points scored, which is over eight more points per game then Dubuque's offense.
The Spartan's offense is led by Peter Ragen, who is averaging 17.3 points per game from 47.7% field goal shooting and 34.9% from three. The senior forward is currently second in the A-R-C in scoring and leads UD in rebounding with an average of 5.8 per game.
Series History
This will be the 140
th meeting between the Spartans and Knights dating back to the 1947-48 season. Wartburg is leading the all-time series 90-49 and has won three of the last five matchups.
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