Dubuque rode hot shooting all-night as the Spartans shot near 60 percent for the game (32-54, 59.3%) and led for almost the whole game. The Spartans took a 41-32 lead into the locker room after making eight first-half three-pointers, and led by as many as 11 during the opening period.
The Duhawks came back in the second half of the contest and kept the game tight. Trailing 50-40, the Duhawks embarked on a 12-2 run to knot the game at 52 when Kyle White converted on back-to-back threes with 12:08 to play.
The Spartans countered to build the lead back to seven at 61-54. The Duhakws rallied to tie the game again at 70 with 4:38 to play, but a Shane Mangrich three-pointer gave the Spartans the lead for good. Mangrich converted on five shots from behind the arc on the evening.
The Spartans (11-8, 3-8) were not only hot from the floor, but also from the free throw line where they shot 85 percent (17-20) and made 10-of-11 in the game's final two minutes. Nick Thomas led Dubuque with a game-high 32 points. Tyler Daugherty added 26 and Mangrich 19. Luke Stotmeister contributed 11 for the Spartans who defeated the Duhawks for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
Balance led the way for the Duhawks as Greg King paced the attack with 21. Luke Slater registered his second straight double-double by scoring 18 and grabbing a game-best 11 rebounds. Bobby Stineman poured in 17, and Kyle White added 16 for the Duhawks who finished the game shooting 50 percent from the floor (29-58).
Loras (14-5, 7-3) missed the chance to pull even in the conference race on a night of upsets in the Iowa Conference as conference leader Wartburg fell on the road. The Duhawks will return to action on Saturday night as they travel across the state to meet the Buena Vista University Beavers on Saturday night at 6:00. Buena Vista fell to Central 79-61 Wednesday night.