WAVERLY, Iowa – Wartburg men's basketball fell to Loras 77-62 in the American Rivers Conference Tournament Quarterfinals on Tuesday, Feb. 22.
Game Summary
After getting down 5-0 early into the game,
Drew Olson got the Knights on the board with a three-pointer and then
Davis Roquet followed it with a three ball of his own to make the score 6-5 Wartburg just two and a half minutes in. Over the next five minutes, each team retook the lead but neither could pull away until the Duhawks took a six-point lead with 12:29 left in the half.
The Knights were unable to chip into the lead over the next six minutes thanks to timely three-pointers from Loras. With over five minutes left to play in the half, a
Jack Molstead three-ball followed by another from
Davis Roquet made the score 31-28, with Loras still in front. The Duhawks offense got back in rhythm and closed the half on an 8-4 run to take a 38-32 lead into the break.
Loras came out of halftime firing and extended the lead to 12 just two minutes into the second half. The Knights continued to try and claw their way back in and got the lead down to six with 13:40 left, but every time Wartburg started to get back into the game Loras' offense would find another bucket. Olson brought the score within five and then Loras went back up 10 after a layup and three-pointer from Declan Ciurlik.
Donovon Smith made a great drive to the hoop and scored with the foul to bring the game back to seven points, but Ciurlik had another answer for the Duhawks as he hit two more triples to put Loras up 13 with 9:30 left to play.
Loras' offense kept rolling in the second half as they ballooned the lead to 21 at its largest point. The Duhawks held on to win the contest 77-62 for their second win in Levick Arena over the past week.
The Orange & Black shot slightly better from the field (41.5%-41.4%), but Loras held a slight edge from beyond the arc with a three-point percentage of 29% (9-31) compared to Wartburg's 27.3% (6-22). Loras dominated the offensive glass tonight 17-7, which resulted in 30 second chance points for the Duhawks. Wartburg was unable to force any steals in the contest, while Loras recorded eight steals and 15 points off turnovers compared to the Knights' six.
Game Leaders
Roquet and Olson were the only Knights with double-digit scoring tonight with 19 and 16 points respectively.
Roquet led the way in scoring back-to-back games now, scoring 19 from an efficient 58.3% shooting from the field and 37.5% from three. The senior was 2/2 from the free throw line and grabbed four rebounds defensively.
Olson shot 45.5% from the field and 66.7% from beyond the arc in his 16-point performance. The senior guard added two assists and went a perfect four for four from the free throw line to help lead the offense. Olson also grabbed five rebounds and played the most minutes for Wartburg.
Molstead led the team in assists with five and the guard also recorded five rebounds in the contest.
Trent Allard recorded a team-high six rebounds for the Knights with two offensive and four defensive rebounds. The sophomore center added three points off the bench and was one of two from the free throw line.
Both
Keagan John and Williams led the defense with two blocks each. John finished the game with five points, five boards, and four assists. Williams provided four points along with four rebounds off the bench for Wartburg.
The Orange & Black close the 2021-22 season with an overall record of 16-10 and a 9-7 mark in A-R-C play.
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