DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras women's basketball team ran their winning streak to three on Saturday afternoon inside the Athletic & Wellness Center. Three Duhawks finished in double-figures, led by junior Lori Obendorf who finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and five blocks.

TURNING POINT
With 1:06 remaining in the game, junior Erin Weaver forced a Wartburg turnover. On the next possession for the Duhawks, junior Kat Cabrera scored a layup to tie the game at 55. Wartburg then committed a series of fouls and the Duhawks  converted on four free-throw attempts to secure the 59-55 victory.   

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Duhawks shutout Wartburg (13-4, 3-3 IIAC) in the first three minutes of the game scoring seven unanswered points. Loras (12-5, 5-1 IIAC) executed on offense by drawing the defense to the top of the key and dishing the ball to the forwards under the basket for easy points.

Eventually, the Knights' offense got moving and cut what once was an eight-point deficit down to three with 1:36 left in the quarter. Obendorf recorded two blocks in the first quarter on Wartburg's leading scorer, Kailey Kladivo, who entered Saturday averaging 15.8 points per game. Despite Wartburg's attempt to close the gap, a 3-pointer from sophomore Miranda Chapman to end the period gave the Duhawks a 22-16 lead after 10 minutes.   

Second Quarter
Wartburg came out of the break with an altered game plan and executed a 6-0 run to the game at 22-all. The Duhawks and Knights exchanged baskets for the remainder of the period, prohibiting either team from pulling away.

Both teams were finding most of their success under the basket as Loras and Wartburg each recorded 16 points in the paint in the first half. The Duhawks also added nine points from behind the arc, while the Knights only scored one 3-pointer in the half. After this back-and-forth action, Loras held onto a 29-28 lead entering halftime.    

Third Quarter
Multiple turnovers by both teams to start the second half prevented either side from getting into an offensive rhythm. With 6:26 remaining in the third, Wartburg took their first lead of the game following two free throws from Aryn Jones.

Ten third quarter points from Kladivo helped Wartburg pull extend their lead, but the Duhawks refused to concede. Two layups in the final minutes from Obendorf and Weaver kept Loras in the game and cut the Wartburg lead to two entering the final quarter, 43-41.

Fourth Quarter
A jumper from Obendorf with 7:53 left to play leveled the game at 45-all, but back-to-back baskets from Wartburg established a four-point cushion for the Knights. A fast-break layup from Miranda Chapman with 3:22 remaining in the game gave Loras the energy boost they needed to finish. In the final three minutes of the game, the Duhawks scored nine unanswered points to overtake Wartburg and regain their lead from the first quarter.

After a turnover by the Knights head coach Justin Heinzen called a 30 second timeout to draw up a play. Out of the timeout, junior Kat Cabrera scored a layup to tie the game at 55 with less than a minute remaining. On their next three possessions, Wartburg missed two shots and turned the ball over one more time, which combined with Loras shooting at the free-throw line added four points to the home team's score, a gap that Wartburg couldn't overcome as the Duhawks claimed victory 59-55.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Lori Obendorf | Obendorf finished with team-highs in points (14) and rebounds (9). She shot 7-of-9 from the floor in addition to recording a game-high 5 blocks.

SOUNDBITES | Lori Obendorf & Erin Weaver


SOUNDBITES | Justin Heinzen


UP NEXT
The Duhawks will travel up the road to face the University of Dubuque on Wednesday. The Spartans (6-11, 1-5 IIAC) defeated Coe, 74-64 on Wednesday for their first win in conference play. The Duhawks fell to Dubuque in both meetings last season, 57-54 and 78-74.