The Loras College men's basketball team pushed themselves up a notch in the Iowa Conference standings with their 87-77 win over the University of Dubuque on Saturday. The Duhawks shot 52% from the field and turned the ball over just 10 times on their way to Iowa Conference win number nine on Saturday evening.

Mike Gleason (team high 20 points) and Tim Kelly (14 points) combined to go 7-for-10 from long distance to lead Loras past the visiting Spartans. The Duhawks put in 15 baskets in each half (which included five three pointers in each half) and made key basket after key basket in the game's final 6:11 to seal the victory.

A hard fought first half that saw the teams trade the lead nine times, but Gleason buried two of his three pointers in the half's final 90 seconds to give the Duhawks a 39-34 halftime lead. In the second half, Dubuque tied the game twice but never led. The Duhawks made seven of their final eight shots from the field over the game's final 6:11 and six different players converted those seven field goals. They also made their final six free throws over the game's final minute to seal the win.

Taylor Blum led the Spartans with 22 and was followed closely by Josh Bellaire's 19. Blum and Bellaire combined to go 13-of-29 from the floor, while the rest of the team went 14-of-34.

The win completed the season sweep of the Spartans and moved the Duhawks into a tie with Buena Vista for the coveted second spot in the Iowa Conference standings, a spot that earns an opening round bye in the IIAC Tournament. In order to claim the #2 seed, Loras will try and win out against the Wartburg Knights on the road and the Luther Norse at home on Senior Day. The Duhawks will need the Beavers to slip up at least once along the way, making the Spartans a rooting interest on Wednesday when Dubuque travels to Buena Vista. The Beavers own the tiebreaker over the Duhawks should they finish with the same record.

In addition to the win over the Spartans on Saturday, the Duhawks also welcomed back a number of alums to the Athletic and Wellness Center for their annual pick-up game in the morning and recognized those alums in attendance in a short ceremony at halftime.