WINONA, Minn. (Duhawks.com) – The Loras women's basketball team suffered a tough loss to Division II competitor Winona State on Tuesday night. The Duhawks committed 27 turnovers which ultimately led to their defeat as the Warriors converted on these for 35 points. Junior Terese McMahon led the way with 15 points in her first start of the season, finishing 7-of-9 from the floor.

TURNING POINT
After trailing 37-28 at half, Loras mounted a significant comeback in the third quarter to bring the game within one point. Unfortunately, Winona State's full-court press led to more turnovers by the Duhawks. The Warriors capitalized on Loras' errors and ended the remaining five minutes of the quarter on a 17-5 run to take a 55-42 lead into the fourth quarter.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Duhawks jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after two baskets in the paint from senior Kaitlin Phillips and junior Terese McMahon. Unfortunately, Loras' (1-2) lead would stop there as Winona State (7-0) proceeded to collect 11 unanswered points. Connor Nagle and Hannah McGlone led the scoring run with four and five points, respectively. With 3:30 left in the quarter, McMahon responded with a jumper in the lane to end the Warrior run.

The Duhawks continued to gain momentum as they closed the gap on Winona State's lead. With 1:08 left on the clock, junior Lori Obendorf grabbed an offensive rebound and put it right back on the board for two points. On the next Warrior possession, junior Erin Weaver drew a charge to give Loras the ball back and senior Megan Jones capitalized by dropping in a second-chance layup at the buzzer to bring the Duhawks to within five at 15-10.

Second Quarter
Nagel continued her shooting efficiency with a 3-pointer to open the scoring in the second quarter. Not phased, Weaver answered with a layup off an assist from Phillips. A multitude of Duhawk turnovers allowed Winona State to extend their lead to 31-18 with 5:49 to play in the half.

The Duhawks stepped up their defensive efforts and held Winona State to six points the remainder of the half. Defense was fueled by Obendorf's deflections and rebounds. The 6-foot-2 forward registered a game-high nine rebounds. Jones led offensively in the final stretch of the quarter, draining two 3-pointers in three minutes. After two quarters, the Warriors held firm on their lead, 37-28.

Third Quarter
The Duhawks dominated to open the third quarter by forcing the Warriors to commit the same turnovers that plagued Loras in the first half. A shot clock violation and several travel calls allowed the Duhawks to score nine unanswered points. McMahon and Obendorf scored on consecutive possessions to bring the Duhawks to within one at 38-37 with 5:54 to play in the third quarter.

A media timeout midway through the quarter put a stop to the Loras momentum and kickstarted a 17-5 run by Winona State to end the third with the Warriors ahead, 55-42.

Fourth Quarter
Winona State proceeded to pull away led by a surge of 10 fourth quarter points from Tara Roelofs. Roelofs led all scorers with 16 points on the night. McMahon continued to fight scoring layups on back-to-back possessions. She also drew a foul on a second chance attempt and converted on 1-of-2 free throws.

With under three minutes to play, head coach Justin Heinzen turned to his bench and benefited from a 3-pointer from sophomore Kate Moriarty on her first shot attempt of the season. In the end, Winona State proved to be too much for the Duhawks to handle, outscoring Loras 26-8 in the final frame, winning 81-50.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Terese McMahon | In her first start of the season, McMahon led the Duhawks in scoring with 15 points and collected four rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Duhawks return home to face UW-Platteville on Saturday, Nov. 28 in the Loras Athletic & Wellness Center. The Pioneers (1-3) were handed a 83-64 setback by Luther on Tuesday night.