DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras women's basketball team will face a pair of CCIW opponents this week in Augustana and Elmhurst. With a 2-2 record through their first four games, the Duhawks have seen growth already in the young season.
 

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST AUGUSTANA
Loras has faced Augustana nine times since their inaugural meeting in the 1982-83 season in which the Duhawks secured a 78-70 victory. These teams will meet for the 10th time on Wednesday in Rock Island, Ill. Loras posts a winning record of 5-4 overall over the Vikings.

LAST MEETING AGAINST AUGUSTANA
The Vikings and Duhawks last met in a home stand for Loras in the 2014-15 season. The Duhawks captured a 70-61 victory over Augustana fueld by a first career double-double from Kat Cabrera. The guard recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds in 30 minutes of play. She filled the stat sheet by adding four assists, two steals and one block. As a team, Loras outperformed Augustana from the field shooting 40.0 percent to their 34.6 percent.

SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Augustana began the season on a three-game winning streak but have since lost their last two contests to California Santa Cruz and Webster. Senior Marissa Pezzopane, an All-CCIW selection last season, dominates scoring for the Vikings with 11.6 points per game. Defensively, junior Kaycee Kallenberger controls the floor with 8.4 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game. The Duhawk offense will have to be in sync to top Augustana.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST ELMHURST
The Duhawks own the all-time series record of 8-1 against the Blue Jays dating back to the teams' first meeting in the 1993-93 season. In the previous eight victories, Loras has topped Elmhurst by an average of 16.5 points with their largest margin of victory coming in the first meeting with a 111-45 win.

LAST MEETING AGAINST ELMHURST
Last season the Duhawks faced the Blue Jays in a home game that featured an impressive offensive performance from Lori Obendorf. The forward tallied 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting. After exchanging baskets for the majority of the first half, Loras managed to pull away in the final 20 minutes of play, leading by as much as 19 at one point. Defensive efforts of Terese McMahon and Kat Cabrera eventually sealed the 82-69 victory.  

SCOUTING THE BLUE JAYS
Elmhurst is 4-2 on the season with one of their victories coming over fellow IIAC opponent, Wartburg. Having graduated their leader in scoring and rebounding in Fiona McMahon, the Blue Jays look sophomore Mikaela Eppard for direction. Eppard is averaging a double-double per game with 15.8 points and 10.5 rebounds. The 2015 Newcomer of the Year in the CCIW has been named the conference's player of the week twice so far this season.
 
FREE THROWS HAVE BEEN FRIENDLY
Four games into the 2015-2016 season the Loras women's basketball team has been to the free throw line several times. The Duhawks are 42-for-51 at the line averaging 82.4% free throw shooting on the season. Free throws can be crucial for a team's success, especially late in the game. With matchups against Augustana and Elmhurst this week, the Duhawks will attempt to get to the free throw line even more to increase their chances of getting two big wins on the road.

LOOKING TO CAPITALIZE ON THE ROAD
Home court advantage for the Duhawks is looking to be important this season as they have a 2-0 home record against an 0-2 away record. In the home wins the Duhawks have won by an average margin of 15.5 points per game. This can be attributed to the high assist numbers of 19 and 17 in the two victories. Maintaining control of the ball has been an issue for the Duhawks with 71 turnovers on the season compared to 54 by opponents. If the Duhawks can minimize their turnover rate and maximize ball movement they should be able to secure road victories utilizing their home streak momentum.

McMAHON STEPPING UP
Junior forward Terese McMahon is slowly claiming a spot as one of the team's top performers this season. McMahon started the season with a breakout performance of 15 points and five rebounds off the bench to help Loras top Beloit in the home opener. After another impressive game off the bench, McMahon earned her place as a member of the starting lineup in the Duhawks' last two games. The Lindenhurst, Ill. product is second on the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game, just behind Kaitlin Phillips.  

STARTING OUT STRONG
Loras is 2-0 this season when leading after the first quarter and 0-2 when trailing. This reflects the team's overall record of 2-2 in the first four games. When the Duhawks have momentum from the opening tip versus having to build it up in the final three quarters the team is hard to beat. In these upcoming games against the Vikings and Blue Jays, Loras will look to start the game strong in an attempt to hold the lead at the end of the first quarter and claim victory at the end of 40 minutes.