CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The 2021 American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Men’s Basketball Tournament will see top-seeded Dubuque (13-0, 7-0 A-R-C) headed back to the title game for the first time since 2015 and second-seeded Buena Vista (9-2, 6-2 A-R-C) making its first trip since 2012.
The University of Dubuque (13-0, 7-0 A-R-C), ranked No. 7 (D3hoops.com) advanced to the title game after defeating fourth-seeded Coe (6-5, 3-4 A-R-C) 73-63 in the semifinal round this evening. The Spartans picked up a 65-58 quarterfinal win over eighth-seeded Nebraska Wesleyan. The other semifinal game saw Buena Vista University (9-2, 6-2 A-R-C) punch their ticket to the championship game by defeating sixth-seeded Central (3-4, 2-3 A-R-C) 81-76 in Storm Lake. The Beavers opened up the tournament with a 96-70 quarterfinal win over Wartburg. The championship game will feature to top two seeds for the third year in a row.
The 2021 A-R-C men's basketball tournament title game is set for a 4:00 p.m. afternoon tip from Stoltz Sports Center on the campus of the University of Dubuque on Saturday, March 13. The Beavers are looking to make it eight (2000, 2002-2006, 2012) conference titles in school history. The Spartans will look to finish the Covid-altered season undefeated and hoist their third (2013, 2015) conference tournament championship trophy.
No. 1 Dubuque 73, No. 4 Coe 63 - BOX SCORE
Dubuque's
Peter Ragen led all scorers on the night with 22 points and collected three steals to guide the Spartans. Freshman
Sam Kilburg added 13 points and five rebounds, while sophomore teammate
Patrick Mayfield posted 11 points for Dubuque.
Avery Butler,
Brock Simon, and Kilburg all tallied five rebounds as the team evenly spread out 34 rebounds on the night.
It was
Jarad Kruse (15) and
Cael Schmitt (10) who paced the Kohawks offensively, both also spread the ball around collecting six assists each. Senior
Jacob Robertson collected a game-high 16 rebounds on the night, while also contributing nine points.
No. 2 Buena Vista 81, No. 6 Central 76 - BOX SCORE
The Dutch and the Beavers would go down to the wire in Storm Lake, as the Dutch would cut a 19-point second half deficit down to just five with two minutes to go in the contest.
Buena Vista's
Zane Neubaum had a career night finishing a game- and career-high 27 points and also grabbed nine rebounds to propel the Beavers to their first conference tournament title game since 2012. Teammate
Michael Demers also dropped 20 points in the contest, finishing with 23 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
Jake Thompson contributed 10 points and six assists in the victory. Over half of Buena Vista's points (48) on the night came within the paint.
Finishing the night with 25 points and five rebounds, Central's
Adam Flinn left it all on the court to help the Dutch get back into the contest in the second half. Teammate
Sam Beatty finished with 18 points and five rebounds himself as the only other Dutch to score in double-digits.
Caden Mauck cleaned up on the boards, collecting a game-high 10 rebounds.
