The Duhawks moved their conference record to 2-0 thanks to junior Lori Obendorf's layup at the buzzer to beat Buena Vista, 73-71. The Duhawks were not their normal selves from the charity stripe, converting on 12-of-21 chances. In the end, Loras was able to rely on their tight defense and hot shooting from senior Kaitlin Phillips, junior Kat Cabrera and Obendorf, who all scored double-digits.

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST SIMPSON
The Storm hold a 41-20 advantage over the Duhawks in their 61 years of competition. The teams met twice in the 1987-88 season, ending the inaugural year of play deadlocked at a 1-1 record. Loras collected their victory in an 80-62 win in the second meeting of the season.  

LAST MEETING AGAINST SIMPSON
The last time the Duhawks played Simpson they secured a 70-65 overtime win. Loras outscored the Storm 11-6 in the extra minutes to claim victory. As a team, Loras made 70 percent of their free throws and shot 41 percent from the floor. Lori Obendorf led the squad with a double-double, including 21 points and 10 rebounds. She also recorded four blocks and two assists.  

SCOUTING THE STORM
Statistically the Storm have performed better in the opening of conference season that they did in non-conference play. On average, they score more points, make more field goals and convert more 3-pointers. The Storm are led on offense by senior Maddie Bosworth with 12.1 points per game. 2015 All-Iowa Conference selection, Mackenzie Haupt, is averaging 10.9 points per game. Sophomore Noreen Morrow has taken on a large defensive role for the team, leading the Storm in rebounds with 6.3 per game. Simpson is undefeated at home on the year at 3-0.  

ALL-TIME SERIES AGAINST CENTRAL
Loras posts a winning overall record of 30-26 against the Dutch. The teams had their first matchup in the 1983-84 season in which Loras upended Central, 65-53. The Duhawks and Dutch have met twice per season since 1987.  

LAST MEETING AGAINST CENTRAL
Graduated senior Victoria May scored a career-high 29 points in the Duhawks' 74-70 overtime loss to the Dutch last season. Loras made a comeback at the end of the opening frame to lead 24-21 at halftime. The Duhawks then extended their lead to as much as 12 points before momentum switched and Central fought their way back into the game. Despite a valiant effort by Loras, the Duhawks were outscored 15-11 in overtime and were handed the loss.

SCOUTING THE DUTCH
Central (3-10, 0-2 IIAC) have yet to secure a conference win this season. The Dutch are being led by forward and breakout freshman, Claire Marburger. Marburger leads the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game, but she is also effective in other areas of the stat sheet. The Perry, Iowa native also leads the Dutch in rebounds (8.8), steals (2.1) and blocks (2.2) per game.

A LOOK INTO THE IOWA CONFERENCE
As one of the most competitive conferences for women's basketball in the country, the Iowa Conference looks to get things going as the first week of conference play has commenced. Along with Wartburg and Luther, Loras remains one of the three unbeaten teams. Leading the conference at 12-1 is No. 16 Wartburg followed by a 10-3 Luther who is receiving votes in the D3Hoops.com National Poll. Despite their admirable third place standing, Loras knows full well that they must respect the entire conference and take it one game at a time.

DUHAWKS WINNING THE REBOUND BATTLE
The battle on the boards can often times determine who will win or lose a basketball game. The Duhawks continue to win that battle this season, out-rebounding their opponents by 14.8 per game to earn them the No. 2 spot in rebounding margin in all of Division III hoops. Heading into this weekend's games, the Duhawks have totaled 598 rebounds while their opponents have totaled 405; nearly a 200-rebound difference. Part of this success can be attributed to Lori Obendorf who leads the team in rebounding with 7.9 per game.  

KAT-CHING FIRE
The 2015-16 Loras Women's Basketball team has benefited from the increased contributions of some of last year's role players.  Sophomore Lauren Stanich and junior Terese McMahon have stepped into roles with increased minutes and have thrived in them so far this season.  However, no player has enjoyed this increased success quite like junior guard Kat Cabrera. The Gilbert, Ariz. native averaged 6.0 ppg a season ago and so far in 2015-16, has increased her average by a total of almost four points, coming in to this week averaging 9.8 ppg. Cabrera has also scored in double figures in four consecutive games and played a crucial role in the Duhawks victory over Buena Vista on Saturday, January 9.  Additionally, Cabrera's field goal percentage (.437) and assists per game (2.3) are not only the highest of her career, but rank just outside the top-10 in the Iowa Conference.

SUCCESS IN TRANSITION
The Duhawks are currently riding a five-game winning streak that includes three non-conference and two conference victories. This is the best record Loras has posted in a time of transition from non-conference to conference play since 2001. In the 2002-03 and 2007-08 seasons the Duhawks had winning streaks of six and 10 games, respectively. These streaks, however, occurred at time when conference and non-conference matchups were intertwined as opposed to separated in halves of a season. Therefore, this is the best Loras has performed in real transition, and it is likely due to the toughness of the non-conference competitors they faced that prepared them.