Loras Men's Basketball Earns Third A-R-C Tournament Title in Program History

2/24/2024 8:55:19 PM

LINCOLN, Neb. – It took extra time in an always exciting American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) men’s basketball tournament. The third-seeded (RV) Loras College Duhawks (23-5 overall, 11-5 A-R-C) defeated the top-seeded, No. 17-ranked Nebraska Wesleyan University Prairie Wolves (23-4 overall, 13-3 A-R-C) by a score of 85-76 in the tournament championship game. This is the Duhawk’s third conference tournament title program in program history.
 
The Loras Duhawks earned the conference’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Tournament that begins next weekend. The 64-team field will be announced Monday, February 26th at 12:00 p.m. (CST) on NCAA.com
 
The Loras Duhawks were led offensively by Ali Sabet who scored 24 points. Jack Haynes finished with 21 points and Jackson Molstead had 19 points. Declan Ciurlik nearly had a double-double as he recorded 11 assists and nine rebounds. He finished the night with seven points.
 
The Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves had three players in double figures with Carter Glenn leading the way with 26 points. Peter Lash and Jack Groeteke each had 13 points. Conner Brown was the leading rebounder for the P-Wolves as he pulled down eight boards.
 
Head Coach Chris Martin is leading the Loras Duhawks to their first NCAA Tournament since the 2018-19 season when he took the Duhawks to the Sweet 16.
 
Stay tuned to the selection show on Monday as there are four A-R-C teams that were ranked in the most recent NCAA Division III Region IX Rankings (Feb. 20) – Nebraska Wesleyan No. 2, Coe No. 3, Dubuque No. 4, Loras No. 5.
2024 A-R-C Tournament Schedule
First Round – Tuesday, February 20, 2024
No. 4 Dubuque, 77 vs. No. 5 Central, 73
No. 3 Loras, 86 vs. No. 6 Buena Vista, 62
 
Semifinals – Thursday, February 22, 2024
No. 1 Nebraska Wesleyan, 73 vs. No. 4 Dubuque, 67
No. 3 Loras, 76 vs. No. 2 Coe, 73
 
Championship – Saturday, February 24, 2024
No. 3 Loras, 85 vs. No. 1 Nebraska Wesleyan, 76
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About the American Rivers Conference
The Conference dates back to December 8, 1922, when representatives from 12 colleges got together and formed the "Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association." Honoring its heritage in Iowa and its expansion outside the state, the American Rivers Conference brand was established on August 9, 2018, to build on the academic and athletic success provided by its legacy, the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The A-R-C has nine full-time members: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College.