DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – A late lead slipped away as the Loras College Women's Basketball team fell 70-67 to UW-Platteville in their season opener Saturday night.  The Duhawks led by as many as 16, before falling on day one of the UD Tip-Off Classic.

The Pioneers controlled the tempo in the early goings, charging out to an 11-6 lead after a layup by Morgan Hartman. On the ensuing Duhawk possession, sophomore Terese McMahon tracked down the offensive rebound and found junior Kaitlin Phillips who was fouled on her layup attempt.

From there, Phillips hit three of four free throws to cut the deficit to two. After a strong defensive effort forced the Pioneers into a poor shot, Phillips led the break up the floor before splitting the lane for the layup to knot the score at 11.

Moments later, the Duhawks erased a four point deficit with an 8-0 run to take a 21-17 lead with 7:55 to go before halftime. Phillips alongside seniors Victoria May and Carly Goede fueled the Duhawks for the remainder of the half as they outscored the Pioneers 23-10 to take a 44-31 lead into the locker room at the break.

In the second half, the Duhawks saw their lead cut to five, 56-51, with just over eight minutes to play. After sophomore Lori Obendorf's layup pushed Loras' lead to seven, the Pioneers used a 10-2 run to take the lead, 61-60.

With her team trailing by one, Phillips hit a shot from the charity stripe to level the score at 64 with 2:45 to play. Following the free throw, the Pioneers scored on back-to-back possessions to take a four point lead.

Trailing 68-64 the Duhawks called timeout. Out of the break, Loras executed their play perfectly setting up Goede for the three-pointer.

With the three-pointer, the Duhawks cut the deficit to one and turned up the pressure. Pressing the Pioneers on the in-bounds Loras nearly caused the turnover before an errant pass nicked a Duhawk, allowing UW-Platteville to retain possession. The Pioneers moved the ball up court to Keeley Schulz. As Schulz drove to the basket, senior Victoria May stepped in and drew the charge.

The smart defensive play provided the Duhawks with another chance to take the lead. Following another Loras timeout, May was fouled sending her to the line for a one and one opportunity. May's shot rattled off the rim before being corralled by UW-Platteville's Krajco.

The Duhawks immediately fouled Krajco who hit a pair of free throws to push the score to 70-67 in favor of the Pioneers. With 10 seconds to play, Loras took the court after a timeout. As time ticked down, Phillips created enough separation to get off the three-point attempt but it would not fall, giving the Pioneers the win.

Match Changer
With just over four minutes to play, Keeley Schulz hit a three-pointer to put the Pioneers in front 61-60. The one point deficit marked the first time the Duhawks trailed since trailing 17-16 midway through the first half.

Key Stat
Turnovers plagued the Duhawks in the closing minutes. The Pioneers held the advantage in points off turnovers, 19-4.

Notables

• Junior Kaitlin Phillips led all scorers with 23 points while adding five rebounds and two steals.
• In her Duhawk debut, senior Carly Goede shot 70 percent from the field (7-10) on her way to 17 points.
• Loras' defense held preseason All-American Alyssa Krajco to 27.2 percent shooting (3-11) from the field.

Quotable
Loras Head Coach Justin Heinzen
"In the end it came down to free throws, layups, and turnovers. Fortunately, we have control of all of those things and can make the necessary changes for tomorrow."

Up Next
The Duhawks return to the court tomorrow when they take on the Edgewood College Eagles. In last year's matchup Cabrera and Obendorf scored 13 points each as the Duhawks topped the Eagles, 80-67. Tipoff is set for 1 pm in the Stoltz Sports Center for day two of the UD Tip-Off Classic.