Sweet 16-0 for #25-ranked Spartan Men's Basketball
Jan 23, 2014
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The #25-ranked University of Dubuque men's basketball team earned a hard fought road victory on Wednesday night, beating the host Coe College Kohawks in Eby Fieldhouse by a 66-56 score. The Spartans never trailed in their 16th win of the season and improved to 5-0 in the IIAC.
The Spartans jumped out to a halftime lead 33-19 after the Kohawks struggled to find the basket, sinking just 8-29 attempts from the field (27.6%). UD dominated the rebounding leading 41-29 over the Kohawks. Gage Heffernan led the rebounding effort with 11, including seven strong defensive boards. He would finish with a team leading 12 points. Andre Norris would finish with 11 points and nine rebounds in just 17 minutes after getting into foul trouble early in the contest. Mitch Michaelis would add 11 points and finish with six defensive rebounds.
UD finished the night making 25-54 attempts from the floor (46.3%), made 5-18 attempts from the three point area (27.8%), and were 11-17 at the free throw line (64.7%). The Spartan defense held the Kohawks to 39.3% shooting from the floor (22-56), 28.6% from the three point area (4-14), and a chilly 57.1% at the free throw line (8-14).
The Spartans were unable to stop the Kohawks in the paint where they scored 30 points. Early on, foul trouble plagued the Spartans. They were relagated to allowing the Kohawks lay-ups until late in the game when they resumed their staunch defnsive play and held on for the 10 point victory. Nine Spartans scored and 14 saw action in the victory.
UD will travel just a few blocks on Saturday when they face the Loras Duhawks (10-6 overall, 3-2 in IIAC) on their homecourt. Loras lost on Wednesday night 70-72 to the Luther Norse (9-7, 1-4 in IIAC). The Spartans (6-0) hold a slim one game lead over the Buena Vista University Beavers (5-1) in league play. The Beavers beat the Wartburg Knights (2-3 in IIAC) on Wednesday evening by a 79-67 score. Coe, Luther, and Simpson all have just one win in IIAC action and are tied for 6th place.
The Spartans will host the Simpson College Storm (3-13 overall, 1-4 in IIAC) on Wednesday January 29 in Stoltz Sports Center. The game will be broadcast live on KCRG 9.2 ABC in Cedar Rapids beginning at 6:00 p.m. with the women's tip off and followed by the men's game at 8:00 p.m.
