Loras claims IIAC title, NCAA Bid
Jon Denham, Sports Information Director
March 1, 2008

BOXSCORE

The Loras College men's basketball team won the Iowa Conference tournament title 77-69 on Saturday night in Storm Lake, Iowa. After dropping both regular season games by a combined three points, Loras made a late run and pulled away in the final minutes with free throws and mid-range jumpers, and locking down the defensive end of the floor.

The Duhawks were led in the scoring column for the first time this season by junior guard Jake Oeth who scored a team high 21 points, making 7-12 shots, including four three-pointers. Kyle White struggled in the first half, scoring just one point from the free throw line and missing all seven of his field goal attempts before emerging in the second half in an MVP-like fashion. White ended the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds for another double-double. He added a team high four assists as well. Two other Duhawks scored in double figures. Brian Centella and Luke Slater each scored 13 points. Two of Slater's field goals were threes (Loras was 8-23 from long range on the night).

Loras led 17-9 nearly seven minutes into the game before the team's started trading punches. The score was tied four times and the lead changed hands six more. The second half was much more Buena Vista in the early moments, a mirror opposite of the first half. Each team led by as many as nine points, each early in the two frames. The teams went back and forth down the stretch, with the knockout blow coming from Kyle White at the 1:11 mark. White scored five straight points in under a minute - including an old-fashioned three point play- to give the Duhawks the lead for good with 71 seconds left.

The Duhawks ended the game on a 13-1 run, holding the Beavers to zero field goals in the final 3:39 of the game. Jake Oeth added a late jumper and White and Centella each made their free throws to lock up the victory.

The win was the second in a row for Loras over Buena Vista in the title game. Last year, the Duhawks closed the Fieldhouse with a win over the Beavers, scoring 77 points in that win as well. BVU has appeared in eight consecutive title games. They won five straight from 2002 thru 2006. Loras will await the NCAA III Selection show on Monday for their first tournament opponent.