Season comes to end in NCAA III round two
Jon Denham, Sports Information Director
March 8, 2008

BOXSCORE

The Loras College men's basketball team concluded their 2007-2008 season on Saturday night with a slim 76-73 loss to Wheaton College in the NCAA III regional final at Whitewater, Wisconsin.

One night after knocking off the #2 hosts via a late go-ahead three, the Duhawks went cold from the floor down the stretch in the rematch with Wheaton, and yet were one made three point shot from forcing overtime in the game's final possession.

Two minutes into the game, Loras held a 8-2 lead, as the Thunder struggled out of the gates from the floor much like they had the night before in their win over Lawrence. Ricky Kolze and Kyle White scored threes to start the game. The purple and gold led by as many as nine points at different junctures of the first half. To end the first frame the Thunder benefited from three long range shots from all-american Kent Raymond. Luke Slater added one out of a timout, but the 9-3 run pulled Wheaton within three at 40-37 at the half.

Raymond went on to score 17 of his game high 36 points in the second half. Increasing the lead to seven points with 1:52 left in the game was Andrew Jahns, who dropped a somewhat uncharacteristic 12 points on four threes.

Kyle White led the Duhawks with 25 points on the night after a 10-18 shooting performance. Every other starter tallied double figures to round out a stat line that reflects the offensive balance that has become a staple of Loras production. Starters Luke Slater, Jake Oeth, Ricky Kolze, and Brian Centella added 12, 11, 11, and 10.

After extending the game with late fouls and scoring quick layups, the Duhawks had a chance to force overtime on the game's final possession. Kyle White took a difficult shot from the right wing which landed in the hands of Jake Oeth who, in turn, whipped a pass out to Brian Centella for a quick-release jumper that glanced off the rim as time expired.

Loras turned the ball over a season low five times on the night. Wheaton won the rebounding battle 29-26 and also shot 52% from long range. The teams also combined for a ridiculously low five bench points (Loras-4, Wheaton-1).

The loss brought an end to the careers of four Duhawks. Kyle White, Luke Slater, Reggie Rowe, and Kyle Sperfslage put the uniform on for the final time Saturday. These four young men were a major reason why the Duhawks appeared in two consecutive NCAA III Championship Tournaments. White and Slater leave as members of the 1,000 point club and will appear regularly in the record book for years to come.

The Duhawks end the season at 22-7. Wheaton will face Whitworth (who defeated Occidental 83-75) on March 14.