DUBUQUE, Iowa (February 6, 2021) - A late surge by the Nebraska Wesleyan men's basketball team erased a 24-point second-half deficit to force overtime before coming up short at Loras College (4-2, 2-1), 105-97. 

After cutting a 24-point lead down to nine points with 9:45 left to play, the Duhawks switched the momentum with an 11-0 run to push their lead back to 21. The Prairie Wolves rallied again to force overtime as a free-throw by Austin Endorf with 5:52 left, ignited a 22-2 rally, which included an 18-0 run and four three-pointers for NWU over the final 4:20 of regulation. During the late surge, Connor Riekenberg netted 12 of his career-high 32 points and Peter Lash added six more points. In the second-half, NWU limited LC to 35 points and just 13 points over the last 10 minutes.

In overtime, the Prairie Wolves broke out of the gate with a layup from Tyler Converse to take the early advantage. However, the magic switched sides as Loras answered with a 10-0 run and ended the extra period on a 17-7 rally. 

The first-half saw the teams trade baskets over the opening nine minutes before the Duhawks went on a 17-2 run. Nebraska Wesleyan answered the run with a 14-7 spurt as a pair of free-throws from Terrence Gildner got the advantage down to seven. The teams again traded scores going into halftime as LC went to the break ahead by nine points.

Notable Stats and Performances
-Nebraska Wesleyan was led by Connor Riekenberg with 32 points as he shot 47.6 percent from the field and 43.6 percent from the three-point line.
-NWU's Tyler Unger grabbed seven rebounds and dished out five assists.
-The Prairie Wolves had nine players recorded at least two points in the contest.
-Nebraska Wesleyan connected on 18 three-pointers and shot 39.1 percent from beyond the arc.
-The two teams combined for 18 three-pointers in the first half and 36 for the game.
-Loras was led by Jake Healy who had 25 points and was a perfect 5-for-5 at the three-point arc.
-Four different Duhawks scored in double-figures.

What's Next
Nebraska Wesleyan returns to Lincoln on Thursday, February 11 to host Buena Vista in a non-conference match-up. Game time is set for 6 p.m. in Snyder Arena.