By Tim Calderwood, Assistant Sports Information Director
Loras College men’s basketball team scored a major upset by knocking off Buena Vista University at home 84-73. The Beavers were ranked ninth in Division III.
The Duhawks stormed out of the gates to take an 8-1 lead and led 11-3 before Buena Vista went on a 7-0 run. The rest of the first half was nip and tuck with no team gaining larger than a four-point lead. The Beavers led 35-33 in a half that featured eight lead changes.
The Duhawks equaled the first half performance by coming out strong to start the second half. A 7-0 run gave Loras a 40-35 lead with 17:03 to play. Buena Vista never threatened the rest of the way as Loras began to connect from the perimeter while the Beavers struggled to make just one of their first nine shots.
A 19-0 run spanning over five minutes saw the Duhawks take a 59-38 lead with 12 minutes to play when J.R. Redovan hit his third straight three-pointer. During the run Loras connected on five three-point field goals. Buena Vista came right back and got to within 12 at 59-47 with 9:13 left. Loras went up again by 18 at 67-49 after a Jeff Ludovissy three-pointer with 7:20 left, and Buena Vista could get no closer than 11 the rest of the game.
The win was the ninth straight for Loras, equaling the longest win streak since Doug Smith’s 1983-84 team, which also won nine straight. A near-capacity crowd at Loras Fieldhouse, which was built in 1924 and seats only 1,100 people, created a tough atmosphere for the visitors all night.
The Duhawks were led in scoring by Jeff Ludovissy. Ludovissy scored 22 points, his highest conference total since notching 25 in a win at Coe four games ago. Ludovissy nearly had a triple-double as he added seven rebounds and seven assists while connecting on 7-of-14 attempts from the floor including 5-of-9 from behind the arc. Three other Duhawks crossed the double digit marker. Greg King scored 18, Matt Murray added 13, and J.R. Redovan notched 12.
Buena Vista (13-3, 5-2) lost on the road for the third time this season, and was led in scoring by Eric Wiebers’ 18 points. Brandon Kies added 14, Matt Wittry 11, and Michael Cameron 10.
The Duhawks shot 40 percent from the floor (25-62), and connected on 14-of-33 three-point attempts for 42 percent. Loras turned the ball over just 13 times, and made 20-24 free throw attempts (83.3 %). The Duhawks also held a 39-37 edge on the glass, and now own an 11-1 record when outrebounding opponents.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Duhawks. Loras (12-3, 6-0), which continued its best conference start in school history, will host another nationally ranked opponent on Friday night. Wartburg College, ranked 21st, will come to the Loras Fieldhouse for an 8:00 p.m. game with first place in the conference on the line.