STORM LAKE, Iowa (Jan. 11, 2025) - The Buena Vista University men's basketball team returned home on Saturday afternoon to host the University of Dubuque, but the Beavers fell behind early and couldn't overcome the deficit en route to a 68-57 setback.

Dubuque's Jaylin McCants scored 23 of the Spartans' first 29 points as they ran out to a 29-10 lead with 7:22 to play. When McCants went to the bench with his second foul with just over four minutes left in the half, the Beavers took advantage and went on to score nine straight points, capped by back-to-back three-point buckets from fifth-year player Zane Neubaum and freshman Adam Bryte, that pulled the team back within 29-21 at the half.

The Spartans came out to begin the second half by scoring 10 of the first 14 points to build a quick 14-point lead. They maintained that lead and later pushed it up to as much as 57-33 midway through. BVU slowly began to chip away at that deficit with 15-2 surge that brought it back within 11 with under 5:00 yet to play. That, however, proved to be as close as the team could get. The Spartans later made a three-point bucket to make it an 18-point cushion with less than two minutes remaining.

Neuabuam led BVU with 20 points and seven rebounds with fellow fifth-year Gunner Reed also in double figures with 10 points and seven boards. Sophomore Carter Sievers was just shy of double digits with eight points while snatching five boards. 

The Beavers rebounded from a 28 percent shooting clip in the opening frame to make 52 percent from the floor in the second. The team never could find its groove from downtown by making only 4-of-21. Defensively, it held Dubuque to just 5-of-25 from beyond the arc despite Dubuque shooting 43 percent from the field.

McCants finished with a game-high 41 points on 17-of-21 shooting for Dubuque (10-4, 4-2 A-R-C) and was the only Spartan to score in double figures.

Buena Vista is now 8-6 overall and 3-2 in conference play. The Beavers remain home on Wednesday, Jan. 15, to host Simpson College at 7:30 p.m.