INDIANOLA, Iowa (Duhawks.com) – The Loras women's basketball team's five-game winning streak ended Wednesday in an 81-53 loss to Simpson. The Storm's tough defense in the paint caused fits for the Duhawks all night, resulting in an anomaly of turnovers. Loras was led by freshman Kennedy Wohlford who scored a career-high 11 points in the contest.

TURNING POINT
The Storm's opening 15-5 run shook the Duhawks out of rhythm. Simpson maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the contest, leading by as much as 28 points in the fourth quarter.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
After Loras (9-5, 2-1 IIAC) won the opening tip, Simpson's defense took over. Their defensive strategy kept Loras off balance and out of rhythm. A total of 10 first quarter turnovers plagued the Duhawks and allowed Simpson to gain their double-digit lead.

Loras managed to hold the Storm (9-5, 2-1 IIAC) to 15 points for three minutes in the latter half of the period. Four more points from each team in the final two minutes left the Duhawks trailing 19-9 at the end of the first.

Second Quarter
Both teams exchanged baskets throughout the second period making it difficult for the Duhawks to lessen the deficit. Wohlford provided the Duhawks with some much-needed energy with her layup, followed by a block on the defensive end of the court. Unfortunately, the momentum was not enough as turnovers proved to still trouble Loras.

The Duhawks were not able to make any significant gains and entered the locker room down 38-21.

Third Quarter
Senior Abby Reinke started the second half off on a high note with a jumper in the paint. The early basket was not enough to ignite a comeback for the Duhawks as Simpson answered with a 10-4 run to take a 50-27 lead. Noreen Morrow was a large contributor to this run and the game as whole as she finished with 24 points on the night.

Midway through the third the Storm found themselves in foul trouble which gave Loras several opportunities at the charity stripe. The team struggled from the line, hitting 7-of-12 from the line, which kept the deficit at a significant gap. After 30 minutes, the Duhawks trailed 57-37.

Fourth Quarter
The Storm continued to dominate on offense and pulled further away from the Duhawks. The fourth quarter featured 3-pointers by junior Kat Cabrera and sophomore Kate Moriarty. Nevertheless, Simpson managed to maintain a significant lead in the game with their tough defensive presence resulting in Loras dropping their first conference game of the season, 81-53.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Kennedy Wohlford | Wohlford led the Duhawks in scoring with a career-high 11 points. She also grabbed five rebounds and recorded one block.

SOUNDBITES | Justin Heinzen


UP NEXT
The Duhawks will continue their stretch of road games in Pella, Iowa on Saturday against Central. The Dutch (4-10, 1-2 IIAC) secured their first conference win on Wednesday in a 74-63 defeat of University of Dubuque. The Duhawks recorded both a win and a loss last season against Central, claiming a 72-65 victory in their first meeting of the season.