Atwater Propels Spartans Past Prairie Wolves
Feb 11, 2017
DUBUQUE, Iowa – The University of Dubuque men’s basketball team (10-13, 7-7 IIAC) raced past the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves (16-7, 10-5 IIAC) on Saturday night, giving them an 89 to 83 win on Senior Night.
After both teams were cold shooting in the first half, the scoring picked up dramatically in the second half. In the first half, UD shot 34% (13-38 fg) in the first half, while holding Nebraska Wesleyan to just 24 points on 11-39 (28.2%) shooting. Both teams shot a combined 6-38 in the first half from behind the arc, which changed in the second half as they went a combined 22-42 from three.
UD only trailed for a few minutes in the game, which came in the middle of the first half. Nebraska Wesleyan tied the game at 20 with 8:14 left in the first half and from that point on the Spartans went on a 15-4 run to close out the half. The Spartans were able to extend their lead by as much as 17 points in the middle of the second half but the Prairie Wolves would not go quietly. NWU would cut UD’s lead to six or seven points multiple times but the Spartans always had an answer to extend the lead.
After only having eight points in the first half, Jamaree Atwater exploded with 19 second half points to finish with a game high 27 points. Atwater also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out four assists. Jake Weber continued on his double-double tear, having 10 points and 17 rebounds. In the two games against Nebraska Wesleyan this season, Weber grabbed a total of 36 rebounds.
Henry Thompson was held scoreless on only one shot attempt in the first half for UD, before catching fire in the second half and hitting five three pointers and finishing with 17 points. TJ Lake led the Spartans in the first half scoring with nine points and only finished with 11 points for the game. However he also had four assists with no turnovers and four rebounds.
The Spartans will continue their quest for a birth in the IIAC tournament on Wednesday night, as they host the Wartburg Knights in their last home game of the year at 8:00 p.m.
