The University of Dubuque men's basketball team honored Spartan student-athletes during their post season banquet held on Sunday, April 26.

Junior Varsity Awards
Coaches Award-Marcus Watson
MVP-Marcus Watson
Most Improved-Desmond Bradford
Defensive MVP-Dan Slowik

Varsity Awards
Coaches Award-Brian Niesen
Most Improved-Mark Wilson
6th Man-Mark Wilson
Defensive MVP- Josh Bellaire
Newcomer of the Year- David Kushnir
MVP-Taylor Blum

Academic All-Iowa Conference
Jeremy Weaks - a two-time recipient
Brian Niesen

The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Buena Vista University senior guard Andre Wagner (Omaha, Neb./Northwest) has been named the 2008-09 IIAC Mens Basketball Most Valuable Player and Cornell College head coach Mike DeGeorge has been named the 2008-09 IIAC Mens Basketball Coach of the Year.

Wagner averaged 16.6 points, 3.81 assists, and 1.8 steals in 26 contests, leading Buena Vista in scoring 13 times. He led the Conference in assists, steals, and assist-to-turnover ratio, ranked second in scoring, and ranked fifth in free-throw percentage (79.8 percent, 87-of-109). Wagner also averaged 2.12 3-pointers per game, ranking fourth in the IIAC.

In 16 Conference games, Wagner averaged 16.5 points, 3.75 assists, and 1.63 steals, and shot 81.7 percent (58-of-71) from the free-throw line. He led the league in assists, steals, and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.25), and ranked fourth in scoring and sixth in free throw percentage. Wagner is the fifth BVU player to be named IIAC Most Valuable Player, totaling six honors, and the first since Scott Weber in 2004.

DeGeorge led Cornell to a runner-up finish with a 12-4 Conference record, the schools best finish since joining the Iowa Conference prior to the 1997-98 season. The Rams enter their seventh NCAA Tournament overall, and first since 1994, with a 21-6 record. The 21 wins is a Cornell school record. In conference games, Cornell led the IIAC in scoring defense (60.2 points/game), field goal percentage defense (38.9 percent), and 3-point field goal defense (29.8 percent) and ranked second in scoring offense (68.2 points/game), scoring margin (+8.1), blocked shots (4.06 blocks/game), field goal percentage (47.3 percent), and turnover margin (+1.62). This is the first time DeGeorge has been named IIAC Mens Basketball Coach of the Year.

The IIAC also announced today the 2008-09 Mens Basketball All-Conference Team. The 15-member Team includes eight repeat All-Conference performers including Wagner, Cornells Griffin LaDew, and Loras Rick Kolze who become the 60th, 61st, and 62nd three-time All-Conference picks. Cornell, Loras, and league champion Buena Vista each had three players selected, while Central, Coe, Dubuque, Luther, Simpson, and Wartburg each had one player selected.

Most Valuable Player - Andre Wagner, Buena Vista
Coach of the Year - Mike DeGeorge, Cornell

MVP School Year Hometown/High School
Andre Wagner ^ # Buena Vista Sr. Omaha, Neb./Northwest

First Team School Year Hometown/High School
Matt Cleveland % Buena Vista Sr. McCook Lake, S.D./Sioux City (Iowa) Bishop Heelan
Miguel Ley $ Central Jr. San Antonio, Texas/Judson
Michael Tierney $ Cornell Sr. Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson
Griffin LaDew ^ # Cornell Sr. Pewaukee, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial
Taylor Blum % Dubuque So. Dubuque, Iowa/Senior
Brian Centella $ Loras Sr. Grayslake, Ill./Grayslake
Tim Dunlavy # Simpson Jr. Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf

Second Team School Year Hometown/High School
Brian Fogleman $ Buena Vista Sr. Manning, Iowa/Manning
Alex Tatman Coe So. Humboldt, Iowa/Humboldt
Chris Handke Cornell Jr. Bellevue, Iowa/Bellevue
Jake Oeth Loras Sr. Ogden, Iowa/Ogden
Rick Kolze ^ $ Loras Sr. Palatine, Ill./Fremd
Zac Ruckebeil % Luther Sr. Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton Township
Kelly McCarville Wartburg Jr. Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood

Honorable Mention School Year Hometown/High School
Travis Person Buena Vista Sr. Tipton, Iowa/Tipton
Loren Liming Central Jr. Ames, Iowa/Gilbert
Kevin Dux Coe Sr. Boulder, Colo./Fairview
Michael Okapaleze Dubuque Sr. New Orleans, La./Redeemer-Seton
Josh Bellaire Dubuque Jr. New Orleans, La./Warren Easton
Cole Danielson Wartburg Fr. Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown

# - 2007-08 First Team All-Conference
$ - 2007-08 Second Team All-Conference
% - 2007-08 Honorable Mention All-Conference
^ - 2006-07 Second Team All-Conference

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team the began 2009 IIAC Tournament Quarterfinals slow after struggling to get their first basket from the field for nearly four minutes. The host Wartburg College Knights stretched an early lead to 8-1 before the Spartans sank their first basket, a three pointer by Demarvis Russell. The Knights would never look back as they won the match-up 87-68 to advance into the semifinals to face the top-ranked Buena Vista University Beavers in Storm Lake on Thursday.

Michael Okpalaeze led UD in scoring with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Taylor Blum added 12 points and teammate Demarvis Russell finished the season with 11 points and four assists. UD finished sinking 25-68 attempts from the field and 9-28 from the outside the three point area.

UD finished the season with a 14-12 overall mark.

                               Box Score (Final)
                             IIAC Men's Basketball
                Dubuque, Univ. of vs Wartburg College (02/24/09)


VISITORS: Dubuque, Univ. of
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player                 FG FGA FG FGA FT FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02 Blum, Taylor........ *  4 10   2  6   2  3   0  1  1   4  12  2  3  0  1  27
25 Russell, Demarvis... *  4 13   3 10   0  0   0  2  2   3  11  4  0  0  0  33
33 Bellaire, Josh...... *  2  5   0  2   0  0   1  1  2   2   4  3  1  0  0  23
35 Okpalaeze, Michael.. *  6 15   0  2   2  9   5  5 10   2  14  2  2  0  2  32
55 Weaks, Jeremy....... *  1  6   0  0   0  0   2  2  4   4   2  0  0  0  0  16
05 Wilson, Mark........    2  7   2  5   0  0   0  2  2   0   6  1  1  0  0  22
10 Niesen, Brian.......    1  1   1  1   0  0   0  0  0   0   3  0  0  0  0   1
20 Poirier, Matt.......    0  1   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
23 Kushnir, David......    3  6   0  1   2  2   1  2  3   2   8  0  0  0  2  16
30 Peek, Michael.......    1  1   0  0   0  0   1  2  3   1   2  0  0  1  0  13
32 Gorsch, Austin......    1  2   1  1   3  4   1  1  2   0   6  1  0  0  1  11
44 Watson, Marcus......    0  1   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
50 White, Travis.......    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
TM Team................                         3  1  4
   Totals..............   25 68   9 28   9 18  14 20 34  18  68 13  7  1  6 200

             1st Half       2nd Half     Game Totals
TOTAL FG%: 10-33  .303    15-35  .429    25-68  .368
3-Pt. FG%:  4-15  .267     5-13  .385     9-28  .321
F Throw %:  4-7   .571     5-11  .455     9-18  .500
Deadball rebounds: 2

HOME TEAM: Wartburg College
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player                 FG FGA FG FGA FT FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
04 Timmermans, Ross.... *  3  5   1  2   3  4   1  3  4   1  10  4  3  0  1  25
12 Danielson, Cole..... *  5 11   3  6   7  7   3  2  5   0  20  1  0  0  0  34
30 McCarville, Kelly... *  2  3   0  0   1  3   2  4  6   0   5  3  3  0  0  28
31 Mason, Cashes....... *  3  6   0  0   0  1   1  0  1   0   6  4  0  0  1  18
34 Stark, Danny........ *  5  7   0  2   5  6   3  6  9   3  15  0  2  0  0  27
01 Temple, Travis......    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  3  3   0   0  0  1  0  0   6
10 Kern, Travis........    5 10   0  1   0  0   0  0  0   2  10  4  0  0  0  17
22 Eslick, Mitch.......    3  9   1  6   2  2   0  4  4   2   9  0  1  0  1  19
23 Sathoff, Jordan.....    5  7   0  0   0  0   0  8  8   3  10  1  1  2  0  22
24 Patterson, Darian...    0  1   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
44 Bakker, Tigh........    1  1   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   3   2  0  1  0  0   3
TM TEAM................                         2  4  6
   Totals..............   32 60   5 17  18 23  12 34 46  14  87 17 12  2  3 200

             1st Half       2nd Half     Game Totals
TOTAL FG%: 13-30  .433    19-30  .633    32-60  .533
3-Pt. FG%:  3-12  .250     2-5   .400     5-17  .294
F Throw %:  7-10  .700    11-13  .846    18-23  .783
Deadball rebounds: 1,2

Date: 02/24/09      Site: Levick Arena - Waverly, Iowa  Attendance: 807
Officials: Clay Romer; Mark Johnson; Matt Friday;
Technical fouls: Dubuque, Univ. of-Weaks, Jeremy. Wartburg College-None.
Score by Periods      1  2   Total
Dubuque, Univ. of... 28 40  - 68
Wartburg College.... 36 51  - 87

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team played their final regular season home contest of the 2008-09 season in front of a near capacity crowd. The game was everything you would expect from the cross town rival Loras College Duhawks on senior day.

Saturday's game will be one of those games fans will be talking about year's from now. It all started with the the pair of teams ending the first half tied at 25-25. The fans in attendance knew the match-up was building into a memory with time winding down and the two teams exchanging the lead six times and being tied another nine times. Down by a basket in the final minute, UD's Taylor Blum who endured defensive pressure all night would connect from the outside sinking a three to give the Spartans a one point lead 64-63 with just 33 ticks left on the clock.

UD called a timeout and the Duhawks returned to the court and found an open man, only to miss the outside jumper for three points. UD's Mark Wilson grabbed the rebound and was fouled. Nine seconds left on the clock and Wilson missed the front of a 1 and 1 at the free throw line. Loras's Ricky Kolze snatched the rebound and called a quick timeout. Kolze would pull up for the game winning shot only to have Wilson step up and block the shot attempt with three seconds to go. The ball would bounce back into the hands of Kolze who put the ball up once again. Davison Court went silent as the capacity crowd watched and waited for the result. The ball made two rolls around the rim, appeared as it was going to fall out as the backboard gleamed red as time expired and as if on cue the ball would take one last roll off the left edge of the rim and slowly went through the nylon net and giving the victory to the Duhawks by a score of 65-64.

Senior Michael Okpalaeze led all scorers with 21 points. Taylor Blum coming off a fine 32-point performance in Wednesday's game against Luther was held scoreless for over for 30 minutes before sinking his first points of the night after getting fouled shooting a three point attempt. He would finish the day with nine points.

Both squads finished shooting 44% from the field and 30% from the three point line. Loras held a slim edge in rebounding 31-28, but UD's bench would score 27 points in the loss.

The Spartans will travel to play the Wartburg College Knights in Waverly on Tuesday, February 24 at 7:00 p.m. in the first round of the 2009 IIAC Men's Basketball Tournament. Second round is on February 26 will the championship finals on February 28. The winner received the automatic bid into the 2009 NCAA Division III National Championships.

all games at higher seed
First Round - Tuesday, Feb. 24
#6 Central @ #3 Loras 8 p.m.
#5 Dubuque @ #4 Wartburg 7 p.m.

Semifinals - Thursday, Feb. 26
#4 Wartburg/#5 Dubuque winner @ #1 Buena Vista 7 p.m.
#3 Loras/#6 Central winner @ #2 Cornell 7 p.m.

Championship game - Saturday, Feb. 28 Semifinal winners TBA

The University of Dubuque men's basketball helped sort the field for the six IIAC schools qualifying for the 2009 IIAC tournament with a 79-65 victory over Luther College.

Entering Wednesday night's game, one was the magic number for the Spartans. UD needed one win to secure a spot and with the victory became the #5 seed in the tournament. The Spartans will face Wartburg in Waverly on Tuesday, Feb. 24 in the first round game. The women's bracket is yet to be determined, so start time for the game will either be 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. if they host a doubleheader.

IIAC Tournament seeds:
#1 seed - Buena Vista University
#2 seed - Cornell College
#3 seed - Loras College
#4 seed - Wartburg College
#5 seed - University of Dubuque
#6 seed - Central College

Tuesday, Feb. 24
Central at Loras
UD at Wartburg

Semi-finals on Thursday, Feb. 26
UD/Wartburg winner vs. Buena Vista in Storm Lake
Central/Loras winner vs. Cornell in Mount Vernon

IIAC Tournament Championship, Saturday, Feb. 28
semi-final winners at highest remaining seed

One might have been the number of wins UD needed to make the tourney, but on Wednesday it was #2, Taylor Blum who pumped in 32 points, including 18 first half points to lead all scorers. Blum sank 9-12 shots from the field, sank 6-9 attempts from beyond the three point arc, and was perfect at the free throw line 8-8.

Three out of five starters finished in double figures with Josh Bellaire and Michael Okpalaeze both finishing with a dozen points. UD shot 56.6% from the field and sank 10-18 three point attempts (55.6%). Luther held a slim edge in rebounding 32-31. UD led 40-26 after the opening period and maintained that lead throughout the game, despite challenges by the Norse in the second half of action.

The Spartans will wrap-up the regular season at home on Saturday, against the Loras College Duhawks with tip-off slated for 4:00 p.m. on Senior Day.

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team were looking to lock-up a spot in the 2009 IIAC men's tournament on Saturday, but it was the host Coe College Kohawks who kept their hopes alive with 64-61 victory Saturday.

The Kohawks opened the first eight minutes of the game with a 20-10 lead, The Kohawks hit four 3-point baskets in the first 7:04 of the game. UD went on a 13-5 run when Coe went cold in the final seven minutes of the first half, but were able to hold on to a 33-30 lead over the Spartans at the break.

While leading the entire first half and 2:27 into the second half, the Spartans rallied back. After trailing 40-37 with 15:05 to go in the contest, UD the game back into their hands the next seven minutes of the game, going on a 15-5 run. The big run put the Spartans up by seven with 7:46 to play.

Coe quickly answered back with a 7-0 run of its own to tie the game for the fourth time. With 2:29 remaining, Taylor Blum hit a jumper to put the Spartans up by three with 2:29 to play. It was just the eighth point of the night for the Spartans' leading scorer, who was also held without a 3-point basket on the night.

With 1:55 to play, Coe hit a jumper in the paint to cut the lead to one. Following a turnover by UD's Mark Wilson with 1:41 to play, Kohawks hit a jumper in the lane to put the Kohawks ahead 62-61 with 1:18 left. With :21 to play, Coe's Tatman went to the line for a pair of free throws, where he connected on both attempts. He was a pefect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe on the night. As time expired, Coe stole the ball away from Blumm before he could make an attempt at tying the game.

The University of Dubuque mens basketball time fought to the bitter end on Wednesday night only to suffer another narrow loss to the title winning Buena Vista Beavers 70-74.

The loss helped BV capture the outright team title, but the Spartans will need just one more victory out of their final three contests to capture of the two remaining qualifying spots for the IIAC Tournament. UD is tied with Central at 6-7 in the IIAC for 5th/6th place and are three games ahead of Coe and Luther which stand with 3-10 IIAC records. Victories by UD and Central on Saturday would end the hopes of Coe, Luther and Simpson to qualify for the 2009 IIAC Men's Basketball Tournament which begins on February, 24 at sites yet to be determined.

The Spartans Josh Bellaire led UD in scoring with 18 points and six rebounds. Jeremy Weaks battled the height of the Beavers and finished with 13 points alongside teammate Michael Okpalaeze who had 13 points and nine rebounds. The hot shooting Spartans led for most of the opening half after shooting 55.6% from the field and took a 34-33 lead into the locker room.

The host Beavers kept in the contest by sinking six 3-point baskets in the first half, but UD held them to 37.5% shooting. In the second half, BV's defense stepped up and held UD to 39.5% and they woke up sinking 12-26 from the field to take the lead. The Spartans re-grouped and attacked with drives to the basket when they went a chilly 1-12 from the three point area in the final 20 minutes of action.

UD will play the Coe College Kohawks on Saturday with tip-off scheduled for 4:00 p.m.

                               Box Score (Final)
                             IIAC Men's Basketball
                Dubuque, Univ. of vs Buena Vista Univ. (2/11/09)


VISITORS: Dubuque, Univ. of
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player                 FG FGA FG FGA FT FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02 Blum, Taylor........ *  4 12   0  5   0  0   0  2  2   2   8  1  1  0  0  35
25 Russell, Demarvis... *  1  9   1  7   0  0   0  1  1   0   3  0  0  0  0  30
33 Bellaire, Josh...... *  7 13   2  2   2  3   1  5  6   3  18  2  4  0  1  31
35 Okpalaeze, Michael.. *  5 12   0  1   3  4   5  4  9   4  13  2  2  0  0  29
55 Weaks, Jeremy....... *  6  8   0  0   1  2   0  4  4   2  13  0  0  0  1  27
05 Wilson, Mark........    1  1   1  1   0  0   2  4  6   2   3  1  1  0  1  10
20 Poirier, Matt.......    1  1   0  0   0  0   1  3  4   0   2  1  1  0  0   8
23 Kushnir, David......    1  2   0  1   0  0   0  3  3   5   2  1  1  1  1  13
30 Peek, Michael.......    3  4   0  0   0  0   1  0  1   3   6  0  0  0  0  12
32 Gorsch, Austin......    1  3   0  1   0  0   0  1  1   0   2  0  0  0  0   5
TM Team................                            1  1             1
   Totals..............   30 65   4 18   6  9  10 28 38  21  70  8 11  1  4 200

             1st Half       2nd Half     Game Totals
TOTAL FG%: 15-27  .556    15-38  .395    30-65  .462
3-Pt. FG%:  3-6   .500     1-12  .083     4-18  .222
F Throw %:  1-3   .333     5-6   .833     6-9   .667
Deadball rebounds: 0

HOME TEAM: Buena Vista Univ.
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player                 FG FGA FG FGA FT FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
02 Stribe, Kyle........ *  2  3   2  3   3  4   0  4  4   1   9  2  0  1  1  29
04 Wagner, Andre....... *  4 14   2  6   6  7   0  1  1   0  16  1  2  0  0  32
15 Person, Travis...... *  2  8   1  6   0  0   0  2  2   1   5  4  1  1  1  26
32 Fogleman, Brian..... *  3  7   0  0   1  2   1  4  5   1   7  2  3  1  0  19
33 Cleveland, Matt..... *  8 13   2  5   2  3   2  7  9   4  20  4  1  1  2  29
01 Parker, Nathan......    1  3   0  0   0  0   1  3  4   2   2  0  0  1  0  15
10 Osborn, Kevin.......    1  1   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   2  0  0  0  0   8
22 Millea, Jon.........    1  2   1  2   0  0   0  4  4   1   3  0  0  1  0  13
24 Janssen, Jeff.......    1  5   1  4   2  2   2  0  2   0   5  1  1  0  0  12
30 Bissen, Doug........    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   4
34 Gray, KJ............    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   1   0  0  1  0  0   1
40 Gute, Steve.........    1  2   0  0   3  4   2  2  4   0   5  1  0  0  0  12
TM Team................                         1  1  2             1
   Totals..............   24 58   9 26  17 22   9 28 37  11  74 15 10  6  4 200

             1st Half       2nd Half     Game Totals
TOTAL FG%: 12-32  .375    12-26  .462    24-58  .414
3-Pt. FG%:  6-18  .333     3-8   .375     9-26  .346
F Throw %:  3-4   .750    14-18  .778    17-22  .773
Deadball rebounds: 2

Date: 2/11/09       Site: Storm Lake, Iowa (Siebens Fieldhouse)  Attendance: 1100
Officials: Tom Fettkether; Joel Paige; Gene Stock;
Technical fouls: Dubuque, Univ. of-None. Buena Vista Univ.-None.
Score by Periods      1  2   Total
Dubuque, Univ. of... 34 36  - 70
Buena Vista Univ.... 33 41  - 74

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team captured the 71-61 victory overthe Central College Dutch on Saturday in front of a near capacity crowd after holding the official dedication of Jon Davison Court.

UD jumped out for an early lead and led at the break 30-22 before coming out in the second half and shooting nearly 60% from the field to extend their lead to 10 as time expired. The Spartans sank 24-51 from the field, 6-12 from the three point area, and 17-23 from the free throw line.

Demarvis Russell found openings, split the defense and led UD in scoring with 16 points. Taylor Blum added 14 points and Michael Okpalaeze had 10 points. Michael Peek came off the bench and scored nine points while collecting seven rebounds.

UD improved to 13-8 overall and 6-6 in IIAC.

The University of Dubuque will be officially dedicating Jon Davison Court in the Stoltz Sports Center on Saturday, February 7, 2009. The dedication for legendary coach Jon Davison is planned to take place between the womens and mens basketball games versus the Central College Dutch. Tip-off for the games is 2:00 p.m. for the women team and approximately 4:00 p.m. for the mens team. A reception will be held following the mens contest.

Jon Davison (C61), spent 42 years in the coaching and teaching profession. He started his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater in 1966. Davison logged over 300 wins in 27 seasons as head basketball coach at UD. He returned for his 40th season in the collegiate ranks in 2008 when he took over the mens golf program for the Spartans. He is also counsel to mens basketball and spends time re-connecting with Dubuque alumni as special projects coordinator for the Advancement Office.

A native of Aledo, Ill., Davisons squads posted an overall won-loss record of 371-320 and had four 20-plus win seasons in mens basketball.

During the 1980s, Davisons squads dominated the Iowa Conference, compiling the best won-loss record over that 10-year period. His 1986, 1988, and 1990 squads won the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) championship. The Spartans qualified for the NCAA Division III mens basketball national tournament in 1981, 1986, 1988, and 1990.

Davison was named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year in basketball in 1986, 1988 and 1990, and in golf in 1975. In 1990, he was awarded the Paul Maaske Award as Iowas Small College Coach of the Year. He coached eight Conference Players of the Year at UD.

Davison served as director of athletics, head mens basketball coach (27 years), head golf coach (15 years), head track coach (6 years), head tennis coach (3 years), head cross country coach (10 years), head baseball coach (1 year), assistant football coach (8 years), associate professor of physical education and department chairman (20 years) at UD at various times from 1966 to 1993.

Davison lettered in four sports at UD, where he garnered four letters in both football and track, two in basketball, and one in baseball.

After a three-year hiatus from collegiate coaching, Davison joined the Clarke College coaching staff in 1996. He guided his 2005-06 squad to a 17-10 mark and its first Northern Illinois - Iowa Conference championship. Clarke finished 11-1 overall in league play. The Crusaders' championship season came on the heels of a 20-7 campaign in 2004-05.

Davison guided Clarkes mens golf program to seven straight Northern Illinois - Iowa Conference (NIIC) championships from 1999 to 2005. Davison was named the conference Coach of the Year in 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04. He was named the 2004-05 NIIC Co-Coach of the Year.

Davison met his wife, Nita (C74), while a student at UD, and they have three children: Jane, James (C89), and Joan (C86).

###

For additional information contact Clarissa Ferguson, Associate Vice President for Advancement Operations (563-589-3159).

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team dropped an IIAC tilt on Saturday by a score of 53-71.

UD's Taylor Blum would open up the first half with 12 points, but the Knights defense kept the ball away and he would score just three points in the final 20 minutes of play. The Spartans would get just six points from their bench while the Knights bench scored 25 points.

Wartburg held a large advantage on the boards by out rebounding the Spartans 45-30. UD committed 21 fouls putting the Knights at the line 26 times and they sank 17 chances. Both teams struggled at the free throw line shooting below 70% on the night.

UD will return to the friendly confines of Jon Davison Court next week, February 7 when they host the Central College Dutch at 4:00 p.m.

Official Basketball Box Score
Univ. of Dubuque vs Wartburg College
1/31/09 4 p.m. at Levick Arena

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Univ. of Dubuque 12-8, 5-6 IIAC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
02 Blum, Taylor........ *  4-11   2-6    5-6    0  2  2   3  15  1  2  0  0  33
25 Russell, Demarvis... *  4-12   3-9    0-0    2  1  3   4  11  0  2  0  0  28
33 Bellaire, Josh...... *  4-11   0-1    3-4    1  3  4   2  11  4  2  0  1  32
35 Okpalaeze, Michael.. *  3-6    0-0    2-4    2  5  7   1   8  0  3  0  1  29
55 Weaks, Jeremy....... *  1-3    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   5   2  0  1  0  0  16
05 Wilson, Mark........    0-3    0-3    0-0    0  2  2   1   0  0  0  1  0   7
10 Niesen, Brian.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
15 Tebbe, Ryan.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
20 Poirier, Matt.......    0-4    0-4    1-2    2  1  3   0   1  0  1  0  1   9
23 Kushnir, David......    1-2    0-0    0-0    0  4  4   5   2  0  0  0  0  13
30 Peek, Michael.......    1-1    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   2  0  0  0  1  16
32 Gorsch, Austin......    0-1    0-1    1-3    0  0  0   0   1  0  0  0  0   9
44 Watson, Marcus......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   0   0  0  0  0  0   6
   Team................                         1  1  2
   Totals..............   18-54   5-24  12-19   8 22 30  21  53  5 11  1  4 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  9-25 36.0%   2nd Half:  9-29 31.0%   Game: 33.3%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-12 25.0%   2nd Half:  2-12 16.7%   Game: 20.8%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-7  57.1%   2nd Half:  8-12 66.7%   Game: 63.2%    4


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Wartburg College 11-8, 6-4 IIAC
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
01 Temple, Travis...... *  0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  2  1  0  1  18
04 Timmermans, Ross.... *  5-13   3-10   3-4    1  3  4   2  16  3  2  0  0  28
12 Danielson, Cole..... *  4-8    2-6    3-4    2  5  7   4  13  1  1  0  0  32
23 Sathoff, Jordan..... *  5-10   1-1    1-2    3  4  7   4  12  1  2  0  0  20
34 Stark, Danny........ *  2-4    1-2    0-0    1  8  9   2   5  2  4  0  0  34
03 Hunt, Elijah........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   2
10 Kern, Travis........    3-5    0-1    2-5    0  0  0   0   8  0  1  0  1  15
22 Eslick, Mitch.......    1-4    1-4    0-0    0  1  1   2   3  2  1  0  0   9
30 McCarville, Kelly...    2-3    0-0    3-4    6  4 10   0   7  1  0  0  2  24
31 Mason, Cashes.......    1-3    0-0    5-7    1  4  5   1   7  3  3  0  1  18
   TEAM................                            2  2
   Totals..............   23-51   8-25  17-26  14 31 45  15  71 15 15  0  5 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 10-23 43.5%   2nd Half: 13-28 46.4%   Game: 45.1%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  3-12 25.0%   2nd Half:  5-13 38.5%   Game: 32.0%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  5-8  62.5%   2nd Half: 12-18 66.7%   Game: 65.4%    1


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Roland Simmons, Tom Fettkether, Rod Hill
Technical fouls: Univ. of Dubuque-None. Wartburg College-None.
Attendance: 850
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Univ. of Dubuque..............   25   28  -   53
Wartburg College..............   28   43  -   71

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team moved to within a 1/2 game of fourth place in the IIAC standings on Wednesday evening. UD won on the road over the Simpson College Storm by a score of 79-69.

Once again it was Taylor Blum leading the scoring barrage for the Spartans and he would finish with 23 points, three assists and two steals. Josh Bellaire added 12 points after sinking 10-10 from the free throw line. Michael Peek came off the bench to add 11 points and five rebounds while teammate DeMarvis Russell had 10 points.

The story tonight was written at the free throw line. UD forced the Storm into committing 25 fouls and would be sent to the free throw line 36 times and sank 31 attempts (86.1%).

UD will travel to Waverly on Saturday as they continue league action. Wartburg is tied for fourth place with Central with 5-4 records while the Spartans trail by 1/2 a game with a 5-5 record in IIAC.

                               Box Score (Final)
                             IIAC Men's Basketball
                 Dubuque, Univ. of vs Simpson College (1/28/09)


VISITORS: Dubuque, Univ. of
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player                 FG FGA FG FGA FT FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
33 Bellaire, Josh...... f  1  3   0  1  10 10   0  4  4   1  12  4  2  0  0  30
35 Okpalaeze, Michael.. f  3 12   0  2   2  2   3  4  7   3   8  2  0  0  2  31
55 Weaks, Jeremy....... c  3  6   0  0   1  2   1  7  8   3   7  0  1  1  0  30
02 Blum, Taylor........ g  5 10   4  5   9 11   0  2  2   0  23  3  3  0  2  30
25 Russell, Demarvis... g  4  7   2  5   0  0   0  3  3   0  10  2  0  0  0  26
05 Wilson, Mark........    1  2   1  1   0  0   0  3  3   1   3  0  1  1  0   8
10 Niesen, Brian.......    0  0   0  0   1  2   0  0  0   0   1  0  0  0  0   1
15 Tebbe, Ryan.........    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+
20 Poirier, Matt.......    1  2   1  2   1  1   0  1  1   0   4  0  0  0  0  14
22 Walusayi, Nick......    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   0  0  1  0  0   1
23 Kushnir, David......    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   4
30 Peek, Michael.......    2  4   0  0   7  8   4  1  5   5  11  0  1  0  0  15
32 Gorsch, Austin......    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  1  1   1   0  0  2  1  0   9
44 Watson, Marcus......    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
TM Team................                         1  6  7
   Totals..............   20 46   8 16  31 36   9 32 41  15  79 11 11  3  4 200

             1st Half       2nd Half     Game Totals
TOTAL FG%:  9-22  .409    11-24  .458    20-46  .435
3-Pt. FG%:  3-7   .429     5-9   .556     8-16  .500
F Throw %: 11-14  .786    20-22  .909    31-36  .861
Deadball rebounds: 2

HOME TEAM: Simpson College
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player                 FG FGA FG FGA FT FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22 Branderhorst, Reid.. f  2  5   0  1   0  0   1  2  3   5   4  1  0  0  0  15
24 Dau, Andrew......... f  1  3   0  2   2  2   1  2  3   0   4  1  1  0  0  21
42 Dunlavy, Tim........ c  6 16   0  0   6  7   6  5 11   4  18  4  0  0  1  29
14 Barragan, Zack...... g  3 10   3  6   0  0   0  0  0   0   9  6  0  0  0  26
32 Litchy, Ben......... g  3  7   3  7   0  1   1  2  3   3   9  2  0  0  1  28
05 Duea, Ben...........    1  1   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   2  0  0  0  0   1
10 Fouch, Dave.........    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   0  1  0  0  1   1
12 Johnson, Dave.......    6 14   3  5   2  2   0  3  3   4  17  0  1  0  2  14
20 Fouch, Matt.........    0  1   0  0   0  0   0  1  1   2   0  1  0  0  1  12
30 Grigsby, Aromeo.....    0  2   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   1   0  1  0  0  0  11
34 Mars, Chris.........    0  0   0  0   2  2   0  0  0   1   2  0  1  0  0   5
40 Jorgensen, Peter....    0  3   0  0   0  0   0  3  3   4   0  1  0  1  0  14
44 Ferezy, David.......    0  1   0  0   0  0   0  2  2   1   0  0  2  1  0  17
50 Neef, Nick..........    1  2   0  0   2  2   1  0  1   0   4  0  0  0  0   5
54 Nederhoff, Taylor...    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   0  1  0  0  0   1
TM Team................                         1     1
   Totals..............   23 65   9 21  14 16  11 20 31  25  69 19  5  2  6 200

             1st Half       2nd Half     Game Totals
TOTAL FG%:  9-27  .333    14-38  .368    23-65  .354
3-Pt. FG%:  3-6   .500     6-15  .400     9-21  .429
F Throw %:  3-4   .750    11-12  .917    14-16  .875
Deadball rebounds: 1

Date: 1/28/09       Site: Indianola, IA (Cowles Fieldhouse)  Attendance: 200
Officials: Randy Bruns; Joel Paige; Sam Barrett;
Technical fouls: Dubuque, Univ. of-None. Simpson College-None.
Score by Periods      1  2   Total
Dubuque, Univ. of... 32 47  - 79
Simpson College..... 24 45  - 69

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team earned a hard battled victory at home on Saturday, avenging a loss to the Cornell College Rams seven days ago. Tonight it was the Spartans taking the early lead and stretched it by 12 points in the first half of play before capturing the contest 61-56.

The Rams made a last minute run against the Spartans, putting them down by two points with three minutes to go in the game. UD challenged the defense of the Rams and converted at the free throw line down the stretch. UD sank 20-25 free throw attempts and out hustled the Rams on the boards taking a 35-27 advantage.

Taylor Blum coming off a 30 point performance just days earlier would lead the Spartans with 19 points and four assists. DeMarvs Russell finished with 12 points and Michael Okpalaeze had 11 points and five rebounds. UD finished the night sinking 19-46 attempts from the field (41.3%).

UD improved their mark to 11-7 overall and 4-5 in the IIAC.

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team dropped their fourth IIAC game in a row after suffering a 77-83 loss to the Coe College Kohawks on Wednesday night. The win was the first for the 1-7 Kohawks in league play as the Spartans fell to 3-5.

UD sent the Kohawks to the free throw line a season high 46 times in the match and they sank 33-46 attempts. UD committed a season high 32 fouls in the loss. Taylor Blum kept the contest close after scoring nearly half of UD's points and finishing with 30 points, three assists and four steals.

The Spartans trailed after one period 24-34, but came out in the second half and out scored the Kohawks 53-49. Coe committed 23 turnovers and UD converted for 26 points. The two teams worked the ball inside equally well and each ended with 32 points in the paint. Coe went to their bench for 25 points and used 67.6% shooting from the field to capture their first IIAC victory.

UD looks forward to the rematch with the Cornell Rams on Saturday, January 24. UD dropped the first game just seven days earlier and will be looking to stop their IIAC skid when the two teams tip off the game at 8:00 p.m.

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team dropped their third consecutive game in a row on Monday night after suffering a 57-62 loss against the Luther College Norse.

The Spartans jumped out to a 34-23 halftime lead on strong shooting making 14-29 attempts from the field. Unfortunately for UD, Luther would get hot in the final half of play and finish the night sinking 13-17 attempts (76.5%) to out score the Spartans 39-23 and capture the IIAC tilt.

DeMarvis Russell and Taylor Blum both finished with 15 points. Josh Bellaire had 14 points and seven rebounds. UD's bench would score just four points in the loss. Luther's bench would out score UD's as their substitutes would end the contest scoring 34 of the Norse 62 points.

                               Box Score (Final)
                             IIAC Men's Basketball
                 Dubuque, Univ. of vs Luther College (01/19/09)


VISITORS: Dubuque, Univ. of
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player                 FG FGA FG FGA FT FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
25 Russell, Demarvis... f  6 11   2  5   1  2   1  2  3   3  15  0  0  0  0  30
30 Peek, Michael....... f  1  2   0  0   0  0   1  4  5   2   2  1  0  1  1  20
35 Okpalaeze, Michael.. c  3  7   0  0   1  2   2  4  6   3   7  3  5  0  2  34
02 Blum, Taylor........ g  6 16   2  8   1  1   0  0  0   4  15  0  2  0  0  29
33 Bellaire, Josh...... g  7 14   0  1   0  2   0  7  7   1  14  2  0  0  1  31
05 Wilson, Mark........    0  1   0  0   0  0   0  2  2   0   0  0  0  0  1  10
20 Poirier, Matt.......    0  1   0  1   0  0   0  0  0   1   0  0  1  0  0  10
23 Kushnir, David......    1  3   0  0   0  0   2  0  2   0   2  0  1  0  1  12
32 Gorsch, Austin......    0  0   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  10
55 Weaks, Jeremy.......    0  2   0  0   2  2   3  2  5   2   2  0  0  0  1  14
TM Team................                         1  1  2
   Totals..............   24 57   4 15   5  9  10 22 32  16  57  6  9  1  7 200

             1st Half       2nd Half     Game Totals
TOTAL FG%: 14-29  .483    10-28  .357    24-57  .421
3-Pt. FG%:  3-8   .375     1-7   .143     4-15  .267
F Throw %:  3-3  1.000     2-6   .333     5-9   .556
Deadball rebounds: 2

HOME TEAM: Luther College
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player                 FG FGA FG FGA FT FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
41 Ruckebeil, Zac...... f  4  9   0  1   2  4   3  6  9   2  10  1  1  0  0  30
44 Okolue, Nnamdi...... c  4  7   0  0   0  2   0  6  6   3   8  0  0  1  0  26
01 Merritt, Tim........ g  0  0   0  0   0  0   1  1  2   1   0  0  4  1  0  16
03 Larson, Dane........ g  2  5   1  3   0  0   0  0  0   1   5  1  0  0  0  22
23 Waddle, Jake........ g  1  2   1  2   2  2   0  0  0   1   5  1  1  0  0  21
10 Dillahunty, Jacy....    2  6   0  3   0  0   0  1  1   1   4  1  0  0  0  19
12 Daniels, Shane......    2  4   0  0   1  2   0  2  2   1   5  2  1  1  0  19
22 Kuhn, Ryan..........    6  9   5  6   4  6   0  4  4   1  21  1  2  0  1  24
33 Borchers, Dan.......    1  1   0  0   0  0   0  3  3   1   2  0  2  1  1  18
42 Elliott, Nathan.....    1  1   0  0   0  0   0  0  0   1   2  0  1  0  0   5
TM Team................                         1  2  3
   Totals..............   23 44   7 15   9 16   5 25 30  13  62  7 12  4  2 200

             1st Half       2nd Half     Game Totals
TOTAL FG%: 10-27  .370    13-17  .765    23-44  .523
3-Pt. FG%:  2-8   .250     5-7   .714     7-15  .467
F Throw %:  1-2   .500     8-14  .571     9-16  .563
Deadball rebounds: 1

Date: 01/19/09      Site: Luther College, Decorah, IA  Attendance: 297
Officials: Pat Brown; Mark Greve; Brent Sharff;
Technical fouls: Dubuque, Univ. of-None. Luther College-None.
Score by Periods      1  2   Total
Dubuque, Univ. of... 34 23  - 57
Luther College...... 23 39  - 62

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team dropped their second league contest in a row on Saturday after suffering a 60-71 loss in Mount Vernon against the Cornell College Rams.

Taylor Blum led UD with 13 points trailed closely by DeMarvis Russell 12 points and Michael Okpalaeze who finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 29 minutes of action. UD sank 22-60 from the field (36.7%), 9-22 from beyond the three point arc (40.9%), and made 7-9 attempts from the free throw line. UD committed 24 fouls compared to the Rams 14 fouls. Cornell went to the free throw line 28 times in the victory.

UD trailed at the half 21-29 and were out scored in the final 20 minutes 42-39. The Rams finished the afternoon making 26-45 attempts from the field (57.8%). UD will travel to Luther on Monday, January 19 before returning home on Wednesday, January 21 in a match against Coe College.

Official Basketball Box Score

Official Basketball Box Score
Univ. of Dubuque vs Cornell College
01-17-09 4:00 PM at Mount Vernon, Iowa (Multi-Sport Center)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VISITORS: Univ. of Dubuque 10-5 (3-3 IIAC)
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
25 Russell, Demarvis... f  4-12   4-9    0-0    2  2  4   5  12  1  3  1  0  30
30 Peek, Michael....... f  0-3    0-0    0-0    3  2  5   2   0  1  1  2  1  21
35 Okpalaeze, Michael.. c  4-8    0-1    2-3    5  5 10   5  10  3  6  2  2  29
02 Blum, Taylor........ g  4-11   3-6    2-3    0  0  0   3  13  1  3  0  1  25
33 Bellaire, Josh...... g  2-12   0-1    0-0    2  1  3   2   4  2  5  0  0  33
05 Wilson, Mark........    2-4    2-3    0-0    0  1  1   1   6  1  2  0  1  16
10 Niesen, Brian.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
14 Slowik, Dan.........    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+
20 Poirier, Matt.......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  1  1   1   0  0  0  0  0  10
22 Walusayi, Nick......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0   1
23 Kushnir, David......    3-3    0-0    2-2    0  3  3   1   8  0  0  0  1  16
32 Gorsch, Austin......    1-4    0-2    1-1    0  0  0   0   3  0  0  0  1   6
55 Weaks, Jeremy.......    2-3    0-0    0-0    1  2  3   4   4  2  0  1  0  12
   Team................                         1     1
   Totals..............   22-60   9-22   7-9   14 17 31  24  60 11 20  6  7 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half:  8-25 32.0%   2nd Half: 14-35 40.0%   Game: 36.7%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  4-9  44.4%   2nd Half:  5-13 38.5%   Game: 40.9%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  1-1  100 %   2nd Half:  6-8  75.0%   Game: 77.8%    0


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HOME TEAM: Cornell College 11-4 (4-2 IIAC)
                          TOT-FG  3-PT         REBOUNDS
## Player Name            FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN
31 Larson, Riley....... f  6-7    0-1    0-0    0  4  4   2  12  1  2  0  0  32
34 Handke, Chris....... c  6-10   0-0    3-7    2  2  4   1  15  0  0  5  0  26
00 LaDew, Griffin...... g  5-8    0-2    5-8    0  5  5   1  15  2  1  0  3  35
22 Dieser, Corey....... g  1-1    0-0    0-1    1  1  2   0   2  4  3  0  2  22
23 Tierney, Michael.... g  4-10   1-1    1-2    1  8  9   4  10  3  8  2  1  29
05 Cody, Tyler.........    0-1    0-1    0-0    0  0  0   1   0  0  0  0  0   8
20 Lott, J. Ryan.......    2-4    0-1    4-4    0  2  2   3   8  1  2  0  4  26
30 Lewis, Matt.........    0-1    0-0    3-4    0  0  0   1   3  0  2  0  0   7
32 Newcomb, Joe........    2-3    1-1    1-2    0  2  2   1   6  2  1  0  0  15
43 Bormann, Brady......    0-0    0-0    0-0    0  0  0   0   0  0  0  0  0  0+
   Team................                         3  2  5             1
   Totals..............   26-45   2-7   17-28   7 26 33  14  71 13 20  7 10 200

TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 12-22 54.5%   2nd Half: 14-23 60.9%   Game: 57.8%  DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half:  1-4  25.0%   2nd Half:  1-3  33.3%   Game: 28.6%   REBS
F Throw % 1st Half:  4-6  66.7%   2nd Half: 13-22 59.1%   Game: 60.7%    6


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Officials: Jay Flora, Pat Conroy, Corey Burkle
Technical fouls: Univ. of Dubuque-Okpalaeze, Michael; Team. Cornell
College-None.
Attendance: 1050
Score by Periods                1st  2nd   Total
Univ. of Dubuque..............   21   39  -   60
Cornell College...............   29   42  -   71
Cornell's Griffin LaDew moves into second place on school's career scoring
list with 1,360 points. Jeff Fleming is all-time leader with 1,373 points.

Points in the paint-DBQM 26,CORM 44. Points off turnovers-DBQM 26,CORM 25.
2nd chance points-DBQM 10,CORM 8. Fast break points-DBQM 0,CORM 0.
Bench points-DBQM 21,CORM 17. Score tied-2 times. Lead changed-4 times.
Last FG-DBQM 2nd-00:24, CORM 2nd-02:04.
Largest lead-DBQM by 1 1st-17:30, CORM by 13 2nd-09:10.

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team nearly pulled a surprise upset on Wednesday night over the #5-ranked Buena Vista Beavers. UD would trail by a point with seconds to go until a turnover off a tipped ball would steal away the chance and keep the visiting Beavers perfect in Iowa Conference action with the 66-62 victory.

The size of the Beavers showed in the final box score as the Spartans were out rebounded 43-31 and out scored in the paint 34-24. The Spartans led by as much as three points while BV led by nine points early in the second half of action. The nearly capacity crowd on hand witnessed an exciting contest which included seven ties and nine lead changes. Both teams struggled at the free throw line, but second chance points kept UD in the game by scoring 17. Both teams took advantage of the turnovers with UD scoring 14 points off the Beavers mistakes while BV added 17 points off the 15 Spartan turnovers.

The Spartans were led in scoring by the starting duo of Taylor Blum and Josh Bellaire both finished with 16 points. Michael Okpalaeze would complete a double-double by scoring 12 points and 10 rebounds. The majority of the scoring came by the way of the 10 starters. UD's bench added eight points as BV's bench added 12.

UD will face Cornell College on Saturday, January 17 in Mount Vernon. Tip-off slated for 4:00 p.m.

The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that University of Dubuque men's basketball player Josh Bellaire (New Orleans, La./Warren Easton) has been named the IIAC Male Athlete of the Week for the period ending Sunday, January 11.

Bellaire, a junior guard, scored 33 points on 14-of-17 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds in a 81-71 road win at Loras Jan. 7. Bellaire entered the game averaging 11.7 points per game.

The University of Dubuque Spartans traveled across town on Wednesday evening to face the Loras College Duhawks who entered unbeaten in Iowa Conference play.

UD led from the start and never looked back en route to a 81-71 victory and a 10-3 overall mark for the Spartans. The host Duhawks ended the night shooting nearly 50% from the field, but it was the blistering pace of the Spartans which ended the night connecting on nearly 60% from the floor. UD sank 33-57 attempts from the floor, made 5-13 three point attempts and sank 10-16 attempts at the free throw line. The Duhawks made 27-58 shots from the field, 8-26 from beyond the arc, and connected on 9-13 attempts at the free throw line.

UD's Josh Bellaire set a season high as he sank 14-17 shots from the field and was a perfect 4-4 at the free throw line to end with 33 points in 29 minutes of action. Taylor Blum added 12 points and Michael Okpalaeze ended with 11 points and six rebounds. UD scored 18 points off 12 Duhawk turnovers.

The Duhawks were led in scoring by Jason Abbuhl who finished with 13 points. Ricky Kolze was held to 11 points and Jake Oeth had 10 points and eight rebounds for Loras. The Duhawks bench out scored the Spartans 27-13 and finished better in second chance points 22-15.

UD improved their Iowa Conference record to 3-1 and gave the Duhawks their first IIAC loss and are knotted with a 3-1 mark as well. LOras dropped to 8-5 overall this season.

The Spartans are off until next week when they play highly ranked Buena Vista University. The Duhawks travel to Indianola to play Simpson College on Jan. 10 with tip-off slated for 4:00 p.m.

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team dropped the visiting Simpson College Storm to 0-3 in IIAC action after Saturday's 69-53 win.

UD scored in the paint and on second chance points to capture their ninth victory of the season. The Spartans led by as many as 18 points in the opening half before taking a 35-24 lead into the halftime lockerroom. The strength of the Spartans inside and rebounding kept the Storm out of the game for most of the night. UD out rebounded the Storm 43-28 and forced them to commit 16 turnovers.

The Spartans were led by Taylor Blum who finished with 15 points and sank 11-12 from the freethrow line. UD sank 12-14 from the line for 85.7%. The Storm struggled at the charity stripe connecting on 11-21 attempts (52.4%).

Michael Peek added 12 points as Demarvis Russell and Josh Bellaire both would finish the evening with 11 points. Michael Okpalaeze led all rebounding with nine boards.

UD (9-3 overall, 2-1 in IIAC) will travel across town on Wednesday, January 7 to face the Loras College Duhawks (8-4 overall, 3-0 in IIAC). Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team suffered just it's third loss of the season, but it was to the #3-ranked UW-Platteville Pioneers by a score of 50-71. The Pioneers improved to a perfect 10-0 with the win.

Two Spartans finished with double digit scoring: Michael Okpalaeze had 17 points and seven rebounds while teammate Josh Bellaire finished with 12 points. The Pioneers forced UD into committing 16 turnovers and scored 23 points off them. The Spartans bench finished with 10 points while the Pioneer reserves finished with 25 points.

The Spartans will enjoy a Christmas break and return to action on Jan. 3 when Iowa Conference play resumes when the visiting Simpson College Storm travel to Dubuque.

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team led from the start of the contest on Wednesday night en route to a route of Clarke College by a score of 76-67.

Taylor Blum overshadowed the two Dubuque teams, it was a native of Dubuque who was the show on this night. Blum led all scorers with 26 points, sinking 14-15 attempts at the free throw line. Blum became the Spartans leading scorer this season with his effort. He is averaging 14.0 points a game this season. Four out of the Spartans five starters have averaged above 10 points a game. UD has averaged 74.1 points a game and have held their opponents to a 61.7 ppg average. In rebounding, UD also holds the edge over opponents with a 40.5 average compared to the opponents 34.5 rebounding mark. Michael Okpalaeze leads UD with a 8.2 rebounds a game.

Josh Bellaire finished with 15 points while the Crusaders defense held Okpalaeze to four rebounds and five points, well below his season average. UD scored 26 points in the paint while Clarke forced UD into 16 turnovers and would score 19 points off of those mistakes. Both squads earned a balanced scoring from their benches with both squads scoring 18 points.

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team stayed with their game plan on Saturday afternoon and came away with tough victory over Martin Luther College by a slim 82-79 margin.

UD stretched their lead to by as much as 11 points in the final seven minutes of the game, before a late run highlighted by banked three points shots from Martin Luther made it an interesting final couple of minutes. Spartans led by Taylor Blum, who finished with 21 points sinking 7-14 shots from the field. He dished out a team high five assists. Demarvis Russell added 17 points, and three steals as teammates Josh Bellaire and Michael Okpalaeze both finished with 11 points.

The game was tied 10 times and the lead changed five times. UD out rebounded Martin Luther 32-26 as both teams shot well from the field. The Spartans finished sinking 28-54 attempts (51.9%) and Martin Luther made 29-57 attempts (50.9%).

UD hosts Clarke College on Wednesday, December 17 on Jon Davison Court in Stoltz Sports Center. Tip-off slated for 8:00 p.m.

The University of Dubuque sank 35-71 attempts Friday night en route to the lopsided 85-32 win in Stoltz Sports Center.

The visiting Silver Lake College Lakers struggled to find the basket all night and finished the evening sinking 11-55 attempts (20%). The Spartans played 17 members of their squad with 13 getting into the scoring column. Nick Walusayi led UD in scoring with 11 points in 12 minutes of play. The Spartans season leading scorer, Michael Okpalaeze finished with 10 points. Ben Schreen came off the bench to add eight points, but led all rebounders with 10. UD out rebounded the Lakers by a 57-29 margin.

The Spartans improved to 6-2 overall and will play Martin Luther College on Jon Davison court at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, Dec. 13. Martin Luther upset the Central College Dutch at home tonight by a score of 86-74. The Dutch were able to overcome 22 turnovers by knocking down 28 of 34 free throws. Martin Luther led by as many as eight points en route to a 44-38 halftime lead. Central (6-2) was able to get no closer than six points in the second half. Martin Luther (6-4) enter Saturday's game against the Spartans on a four game win streak.

The University of Dubuque men's basketball team couldn't cool down the hot hands of the Dutch on Saturday, as they sank nearly half of the attempts from the field in the Spartans 53-70 loss in Pella.

UD made just eight shots in the final 20 minutes of play (8-29, 27.6%) and were unable to make up the 35-27 deficit at halftime losing their first IIAC contest of 2008-09. Demarvis Russell was the scoring leader with 11 points trailed closely by Michael Okpalaeze who had 10 points and seven rebounds. Austin Gorsch came off the bench to add nine points in nine minutes of play.

The Dutch blocked out and grabbed 42 rebounds while the Spartans were held to 31 boards in the loss. UD's defensive pressure forced the hosts into committing 18 turnovers.

Univ. of Dubuque vs Central College (12/6/08 at P.H. Kuyper Gym)

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Box Score
Newspaper Box Score

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Box Score

Univ. of Dubuque vs Central College
12/6/08 4:00 pm at P.H. Kuyper Gym

Univ. of Dubuque 53

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
25	Russell, Demarvis	f	3-10	2-5	3-4	0-1	1	3	11	0	2	0	2	24
30	Peek, Michael	f	3-6	0-0	3-4	2-0	2	1	9	1	3	1	0	21
35	Okpalaeze, Michael	c	5-15	0-1	0-2	4-3	7	2	10	4	0	0	2	30
02	Blum, Taylor	g	1-4	0-2	2-2	0-1	1	4	4	0	3	0	1	19
33	Bellaire, Josh	g	0-4	0-1	0-0	0-4	4	1	0	4	3	1	0	30
05	Wilson, Mark	-	0-2	0-1	0-0	0-1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	7
10	Niesen, Brian	-	0-2	0-1	0-0	0-2	2	0	0	1	1	0	0	13
14	Slowik, Dan	-	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
20	Poirier, Matt	-	0-3	0-3	0-2	0-2	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	14
22	Walusayi, Nick	-	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
23	Kushnir, David	-	3-6	0-1	2-2	3-0	3	4	8	0	1	0	4	14
32	Gorsch, Austin	-	2-2	2-2	3-4	1-0	1	0	9	0	1	0	0	9
44	Watson, Marcus	-	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
45	Schreen, Ben	-	0-0	0-0	0-1	0-1	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	6
55	Weaks, Jeremy	-	1-2	0-0	0-0	0-1	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	9
TM	Team	-	-	-	-	4-1	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	18-56	4-17	13-21	14-17	31	15	53	10	17	2	10	200
			32.1%	23.5%	61.9%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		10-27	3-9	4-6
			37.0%	33.3%	66.7%
	2nd Half:		8-29	1-8	9-15
			27.6%	12.5%	60.0%

Central College 70

			Total	3-point		Rebounds
##	Player	p	fgm-fga	fgm-fga	ftm-fta	off-def	tot	pf	tp	a	to	blk	stl	min
05	Madsen, Justin	*	2-5	1-4	2-2	0-1	1	3	7	4	1	0	1	28
20	Ley, Miguel	*	9-16	3-4	1-1	3-3	6	2	22	2	3	0	1	30
34	Holan, Mark	*	2-6	1-3	2-3	0-2	2	4	7	1	2	0	0	17
43	Cooper, Zach	*	3-5	1-1	0-0	2-4	6	3	7	0	1	2	2	31
52	Liming, Loren	*	4-6	0-0	0-0	2-5	7	1	8	5	3	1	1	28
04	Hoffman, Mick	-	1-4	0-2	0-0	0-1	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	6
10	Laughlin, Brian	-	0-1	0-0	0-0	1-1	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	4
22	Kwiatkowski, Jim	-	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
23	Turner, Demarco	-	0-2	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	2	0	1	11
24	Kennedy, Ben	-	0-1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3
30	Chapline, James	-	3-5	1-1	1-2	2-4	6	3	8	0	3	0	2	21
33	Levenhagen, Greg	-	1-2	1-2	0-0	0-1	1	0	3	0	0	0	0	3
35	Ness, Drew	-	0-0	0-0	0-0	2-0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	2
40	Poetting, David	-	0-0	0-0	0-0	0-1	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	3
44	Davidson, Preston	-	2-3	0-0	2-2	1-2	3	0	6	0	1	0	0	12
TM	TEAM	-	-	-	-	0-4	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Totals..............	-	27-56	8-17	8-10	13-29	42	22	70	13	18	3	8	200
			48.2%	47.1%	80.0%
	Team summary:		FG	3FG	FT
	1st Half:		14-33	3-8	4-5
			42.4%	37.5%	80.0%
	2nd Half:		13-23	5-9	4-5
			56.5%	55.6%	80.0%

Score by Periods	1st	2nd	Total
Univ. of Dubuque	27	26	53	Record: (5-2, 1-1 conf.)
Central College	35	35	70	Record: (5-1, 2-0 conf.)

Officials: Randy Bruns, Tom Fettkether, Don Brady Technical fouls: Univ. of Dubuque-None. Central College-None. Attendance: 800

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Newspaper Box Score

Univ. of Dubuque vs Central College
12/6/08 4:00 pm at P.H. Kuyper Gym

Newspaper Box Score Univ. of Dubuque vs Central College 12/6/08 4:00 pm at P.H. Kuyper Gym At P.H. Kuyper Gym CENTRAL COLLEGE 70, UNIV. OF DUBUQUE 53 UNIV. OF DUBUQUE (5-2, 1-1 conf.) Russell, Demarvis 3-10 3-4 11; Okpalaeze, Michael 5-15 0-2 10; Gorsch, Austin 2-2 3-4 9; Peek, Michael 3-6 3-4 9; Kushnir, David 3-6 2-2 8; Blum, Taylor 1-4 2-2 4; Weaks, Jeremy 1-2 0-0 2; Poirier, Matt 0-3 0-2 0; Slowik, Dan 0-0 0-0 0; Niesen, Brian 0-2 0-0 0; Wilson, Mark 0-2 0-0 0; Schreen, Ben 0-0 0-1 0; Watson, Marcus 0-0 0-0 0; Walusayi, Nick 0-0 0-0 0; Bellaire, Josh 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 18-56 13-21 53. CENTRAL COLLEGE (5-1, 2-0 conf.) Ley, Miguel 9-16 1-1 22; Chapline, James 3-5 1-2 8; Liming, Loren 4-6 0-0 8; Holan, Mark 2-6 2-3 7; Cooper, Zach 3-5 0-0 7; Madsen, Justin 2-5 2-2 7; Davidson, Preston 2-3 2-2 6; Levenhagen, Greg 1-2 0-0 3; Hoffman, Mick 1-4 0-0 2; Poetting, David 0-0 0-0 0; Laughlin, Brian 0-1 0-0 0; Ness, Drew 0-0 0-0 0; Kwiatkowski, Jim 0-0 0-0 0; Turner, Demarco 0-2 0-0 0; Kennedy, Ben 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-56 8-10 70. Univ. of Dubuque.............. 27 26 - 53 Central College............... 35 35 - 70 3-point goals--Univ. of Dubuque 4-17 (Russell, Demarvis 2-5; Gorsch, Austin 2-2; Kushnir, David 0-1; Blum, Taylor 0-2; Poirier, Matt 0-3; Niesen, Brian 0-1; Wilson, Mark 0-1; Bellaire, Josh 0-1; Okpalaeze, Michael 0-1), Central College 8-17 (Ley, Miguel 3-4; Madsen, Justin 1-4; Cooper, Zach 1-1; Holan, Mark 1-3; Levenhagen, Greg 1-2; Chapline, James 1-1; Hoffman, Mick 0-2). Fouled out--Univ. of Dubuque-None, Central College-None. Rebounds--Univ. of Dubuque 31 (Okpalaeze, Michael 7), Central College 42 (Liming, Loren 7). Assists--Univ. of Dubuque 10 (Bellaire, Josh 4; Okpalaeze, Michael 4), Central College 13 (Liming, Loren 5). Total fouls--Univ. of Dubuque 15, Central College 22. Technical fouls--Univ. of Dubuque-None, Central College-None. A-800

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