Spartans Season Ends in NCAA Tournament
Mar 2, 2013 | UD Sports Info
WHITEWATER, Wis. - The University of Dubuque men's basketball season came to an abrupt end on Saturday against the returning NCAA Division III Champions of UW-Whitewater. The 22-7 Spartans entered the game knowing they had to play a full 40 minutes to stay within striking distance of the #5-ranked Warhawks (24-4 overall). UD trailed 18-29 in the slow going opening half before they surged back in the final half and sliced to just six points with six minutes to go. The Warhawks found the zone beyond the arc sinking 9-14 attempts to put the game away with a final score of 42-58.
"We had some of guys make big shots down the stretch,"commented coach Robbie Sieverding. "We spotted them 17 points early in the game, you just can't do that and expect to beat them on their home court."
Chris Frazier and Andre Norris led the Spartans in scoring with 10 points. Miles Hookstead finished his senior season with five rebounds to help UD out rebound the host Warhawks.
"At one of the early time-outs, we needed to relax and I told my teammates we are here for a reason, get a few stops and we are right back in this game," commented Miles Hookstead who played his first collegiate game in front of large crowd in his hometown.
An emotional Hookstead added, " I'm just very proud of my coaches, my teammates, and everyone in the organization at the University of Dubuque."
"This group of seniors are special, they have played in some big games," added Sieverding. "It's hard right now to see the season end. Anytime you achieve goals set before the season started you have to feel good about your season. We set record for wins in a season (22), but our team is hungry for more. This was the fifth time our school has qualified for the post-season tournament and we look toward the future to gain from what we experienced today. Each year we continue to keep improving, qualifying for the NCAA Championships is another positive mark for our program."
UW-Whitewater will face #3-ranked North Central (25-3) next Saturday in the second round.
