DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Duhawks will be looking for payback on Saturday when they host Coe in the Athletic & Wellness Center. After a midweek loss to Luther, Loras will need a positive result to stay in the hunt for a prime seed in the conference tournament.
ABOUT COE ...The Kohawks travel to the Athletic & Wellness Center for Saturday's Valentine's Day match, after back-to-back wins in conference play.
Coe is led by the strong play of the Kohawk front court, anchored by senior Megan Hayes and freshman Aleena Hobbs. Together, the duo combines for nearly 25 points and 11.7 rebounds a game. Hayes uses her size inside to body opponents up, bulldozing her way to the basket. Hobes' game is a bit more flexible as the freshman fills in around the perimeter at times. Joining the duo is Coe's leading scorer, sophomore Mickey Hansche (13.1 points per game). At 44.3 percent from beyond the arc, Hansche is one of the best deep threats in the conference.
In order to avoid the season sweep, the Duhawks will have to set the tone in paint. Sophomore
Lori Obendorf will have to push Hayes high in the post to keep her from settling into a rythym. Meanwhile, Loras will have to value possessions and win the turnover battle to come out with a win on senior day.
SATURDAY BRINGS ABOUT SALUTE TO SENIORS …The illustrious career's of seniors
Victoria May and
Carly Goede. May has worked her way up through the system in her four years, improving her game tremedously each season. Now the conference's leader in field goal percentage (59.1), May's leadership has been an integral role to the play of this year's squad. Goede celebrates her collegiate basketball career at Loras after transferring from University of Illinois - Springfield. A sharp shooter, Goede has proven to be a threat from anywhere on the floor, pairing well alongside junior
Kaitlin Phillips. A smart and level headed player, Goede shows the poise of a senior with her ability to step in at point guard when needed. While May and Goede have been integral parts of the Duhawks on the court, senior manager Chelsea Myers helps from the bench. Celebration for the hard work and dedication of the trio will take place prior to Saturday's game against Coe.
DUHAWKS COME UP SHORT AGAINST LUTHER …Turnovers were costly for the Duhawks on Wednesday night as they fell to the Luther College Norse 73-72 at home. Loras lost the turnover battle, commiting 25 while forcing the Norse to commit just seven. Despite the miscues, the Duhawks were in it until the very last second. After a handful of unsuccessful plays by each team, Loras had the ball underneath their basket with 1.4 seconds to play. With no timeouts, Loras fed junior
Kaitlin Phillips the ball but her shot fell short as the Duhawks fell to 13-9 on the year.
VALUING POSSESSIONS KEY FOR LORAS DOWN THE STRETCH …Wednesday's loss marked the eighth time this year the Loras College Women's Basketball team has commited 20 or more turnovers. Five of the eight have come in Iowa Conference play. Tightening up on ball security is crucial as the Duhawks look to repeat on last year's success.
LORAS SECURES SPOT IN IOWA CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT …With Saturday's win the Loras College Women's Basketball team secured a Iowa Conference tournament berth. The Duhawks will take part in the tournament for the fiftteenth consecutive season, looking to repeat their sucess of a year ago.
FAMILIARITY: A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD …With the turning of the calendar, the Duhawks welcome a second go at conference foes in February. Finishing January with a 5-3 record, the Duhawks look to take advantage of the familiarity of opponents. Of Loras' three losses, all three have come against the top two teams in the conference. The Duhawks are set to finish regular season play with hopes of avenging an early loss to the Kohawks on February 14. While Loras hopes to use familiarity to an advantage, the Duhawks will have to execute their game plan to keep opponents from doing the same.
PHILLIPS HEADLINES D3HOOPS TEAM OF THE WEEK …Hours after garnering Iowa Conference honors, Loras College Women's Basketball junior point guard
Kaitlin Phillips earned a spot on the D3hoops Team of The Week on Tuesday, February 10. Phillips becomes the second Duhawk to receive national team of the week honors. Freshman safety Maurice Young earned a spot on the D3 Football Team this past fall. It marks the first time since Lindsey Bava earned the honor in 2009 that a women's basketball player has been named to the team.
BENCH CONTRIBUTIONS KEY TO DUHAWKS' SUCCESS …Paced by freshman
Miranda Chapman and sophomore
Terese McMahon, the play of the Duhawks bench has been a vital piece to the team's success. Loras holds a 8-1 record when their bench outscores their opponents. While Chapman provides depth at the guard position, McMahon rounds out the three-headed monster in the post alongside sophomore
Lori Obendorf and senior
Victoria May.
LORAS PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN IOWA CONFERENCE COACHES POLL ...The Duhawks were voted second, receiving two first place votes. Finishing just ahead of Loras (48) was Simpson College with 54 points. While Coe College rounded out the top three with 42 points, receiving one first place vote. Loras' roster is filled with talent, some of which is unproven with the loss of three key seniors. Simpson earns the first place slot for the second straight year after finishing 14-12 last season.
DUHAWKS LOSE LORAS' TOP SENIOR CLASS ...Over the course of her career
Katie Langmeier etched her name in Loras history as one of the best in program history. Fueling the Duhawks to their best season in over a decade, Langmeier was named to the D3Hoops All-West Region Second team after being named Iowa Conference Most Valuable Player and Co-Defensive Player of the Year. In addition to Langmeier, the Duhawks lose
Lauren Byrne and
Katie Wheeler. Byrne's leadership combined with her contributions on the floor (6.0 pts, 3.8 rebounds). In Wheeler, Loras loses leadership and grit. Together the three make up the winningest class in Loras Women's Basketball history, with 66 wins over their four-year careers.
ALL-CONFERENCE TRIO PRIMED FOR SEASON ...Senior
Victoria May returns for her senior season after posting career-highs across the board as a junior. As the team's most efficient shooter, boasting a team-best .539 field goal percentage. Junior
Kaitlin Phillips was second to only Langmeier in points per game last season (12.2) while she led the Duhawks in free throws (72), three-pointers (34). Sophomore Kat Cabrera looks to build upon last year's breakout season. As a freshman Cabrera averaged 6.8 points and 3.0 rebounds. She led the team with 72 assists while also shooting a team-best 84.7% from the free throw line.
HEINZEN BEGINS EIGHTH SEASON WITH THE DUHAWKS ...Justin Heinzen will embark on his eighth season as the head coach of the Duhawks after leading his team to a 19-9 record, the best under his tenure, in 2013-14. The stellar season by his squad earned Heinzen Iowa Conference Coach of the Year honors and moved him into the lead for wins in the program's history. He enters the season with a 112-76 record.
NEW ADDITION TO THE COACHING STAFF ...On June 2,
Jamie Majerowicz was tabbed Heinzen's top assistant. A standout student-athlete and later coach at Winona State, Majerowicz comes to Loras with four years of coaching experience on top of a strong playing career. Her main focus will be working with the Duhawks posts to find a new solution down low after losing Langmeier to graduation. For Majerowicz, she's excited for the opportunity to work alongside Heinzen, who's proven to be effective in the Iowa Conference.
