CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The University of Dubuque Spartans Men's Basketball team clinched the 2015-16 Iowa Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon with a 72-53 victory versus Luther College. In addition to the IIAC title, the Spartans will have home court advantage throughout the conference tournament.
The road victory at Luther improved the Spartans record to 10-2 in IIAC action and 17-6 overall. The Championship is the eighth in Dubuque men's basketball history and first since 1990. UD was picked to finish first in the Preseason Coaches Poll, narrowly edging out Buena Vista, 46 points to 41. In the preseason poll, Dubuque was first on five ballots with Buena Vista, Wartburg, and Central all receiving one first place vote.
Dubuque has been led all season by reigning Iowa Conference MVP Andre Norris but on Saturday, it was the supporting cast that stepped up early. Less than a minute into the game, UD held a 9-0 lead after a three-pointer by Jacob Mohlis to start the game and back-to-back three's by Kain Arthofer. Seven straight points by Norris near the middle of the first half helped the Spartans open up a 10 point lead at 19-9. A 10-1 run by Luther late in the first half closed the gap to 23-19 with 4:08 left. The first half would end with Dubuque leading 29-21.
Luther would open the second half with four straight points before Dubuque went on a 16-4 run over the next eight minutes to take a 45-29 lead. UD would lead by at least 10 point for the remainder of the second half with the lead peaking at 23 points (68-45). Dubuque's leading scorer was Norris with 23 points including 7-7 from the free throw line. Fellow senior Arthofer also scored 22 points with seven three-pointers. Luther's Kevin Stafford led the Norse with 11 points.
Dubuque finishes the regular season with a trip to Wartburg on Wednesday, February 17 at 8:00 p.m. and will host Central on Saturday, February 20 at 4:00 p.m. The Spartans will be presented with the Iowa Conference trophy during a special ceremony on February 20. A complete breakdown the Spartans 2015-16 season will be available following the conclusion of the regular season.
The 2016 Iowa Conference Men's Basketball Tournament begins on Tuesday, February 23. The first round matchups are No. 3 hosting No. 6 and No. 4 hosting the No. 5 seed. The No. 1 and No. 2 seeds receiving first round byes and will host the semifinals on Thursday, February 25. The IIAC Tournament Championship Game is scheduled for Saturday, February 27 with the highest remaining seed to host. The winner of the IIAC Men's Basketball Tournament receives the conferences automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
