ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Duhawks.com) – The Loras College Women's Basketball team traveled to St. Louis, Missouri on Saturday looking to take down their second nationally ranked team of the week and hand No. 5 Washington University in St. Louis their first setback of the season. The game against the No. 5 ranked team in the nation served as a barometer for the Duhawks despite the 78-51 loss. Freshman Miranda Chapman paced Loras, recording a career-high 12 points.

The Bears (6-0) rattled off the first six points of the contest, putting them in front from the start. Chapman and senior Victoria May scored on back-to-back possession to pull the Duhawks (5-3) with four midway through the first half.Paced by seasoned post play, the Bears responded with a 10-0 run before senior Carly Goede hit from long range to cut the deficit to 11.

Moments later the sophomore Kelly Barzowski was fouled on her way to rim, with Loras trailing 31-21. Looking to pull within single digits, Barzowski stepped to the charity stripe. Barzowski's shots rimmed out, keeping the difference at 10 with 2:46 remaining in the half. From that point on, the Bears scored 10 unanswered to carry a 40-21 edge into the locker rooms.

In the second half, Loras cut the deficit to 15 but failed to come any closer eventually falling 78-51.  
 
Game Changer
The turning point in the game came at the 2:46 mark in the first half. After Loras was unable to cut the deficit to single digits, the Bears scored 12 consecutive points to take a 41-21 lead early in the second half.

Key Stat
Solid defensive possessions by the Duhawks were cancelled out as the Bears pulled down 21 offensive boards compared to Loras' 16. In addition to holding the edge on the boards, the Bears capitalized outscoring the Duhawks 31 to eight on second chance opportunities.

Notables

Quotable
Head Coach Justin Heinzen

On the loss
"We have to use this game as a learning experience in a lot of areas; rebounding, transition, defense, communication, and half court execution within our offensive packages. We'll have to be more consistent in those areas here on out to be where we want to be."
 
On the play of freshman Miranda Chapman
"Miranda played very strong today. She wasn't affected by their pressure and attacked it making smart plays and taking smart shots. Her play the last three games has been a huge boost for our bench."

Next Up
Loras will enjoy an 11 day break before taking on their second University Athletic Association opponent. The Duhawks travel to the University of Chicago on December 17 to face off against the Maroons. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.