DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - The Loras women's basketball team needed last-second heroics on Saturday afternoon to remain perfect in the Iowa Conference. Junior Lori Obendorf's layup with less than a second to play gave the Duhawks the 73-71 victory. Senior Kaitlin Phillips was 7-of-8 from the floor, finishing with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists.

TURNING POINT
Buena Vista (7-6, 1-1 IIAC) was leading 68-67 with 1:53 left in the game when Phillips blocked the shot of Becca Pennington. This strong individual effort gave Loras (9-4, 2-0 IIAC) the momentum needed to score consecutive baskets and take a 71-68 lead.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Duhawks and Beavers played an extremely faced-paced game to open the contest. The teams continuously exchanged baskets, evidenced by the 10 lead changes in the first half. Buena Vista was efficient from behind the arc scoring four 3-pointers in the quarter.

A tough defensive presence from the Beavers made it difficult for the Duhawks to score in the paint. With 3:54 remaining in the first, head coach Justin Heinzen made a substitution to replace his forwards with guards and try to work the ball outside. This change worked, as junior Kat Cabrera and sophomore Lauren Stanich combined for five points to help Loras take a 20-19 lead with 2:13 remaining. The lead would not last as the Beavers regained a 25-22 lead before the end the quarter.

Second Quarter
The Duhawks quickly took back their lead after starting the quarter with six unanswered points. After more back-and-forth action from the teams, the score was 30-29 in Loras' favor with 6:43 to play in the second. Both Loras and Buena Vista played tough defense in the minutes to follow, limiting each other's chances to score. More than three minutes passed until the Beavers ended the silence with a 3-pointer from Nicole Snyder.

Buena Vista increased their lead to 39-35, but the Duhawks held them from scoring in the final minute of the half. Obendorf scored a layup to lessen the deficit, sending the Duhawks into the locker room trailing 39-37.  

Third Quarter
Out of the halftime break, Loras charged out to a 6-0 run against the Beavers. No matter how many good possessions they strung together, the Beavers refused to go away. Buena Vista's range shooting kept them close enough to striking distance.

Even though Buena Vista continued their defensive pressure in the paint, the Duhawks started to find ways to score inside. The third quarter featured three layups from Obendorf who found ways to get around her opponents and score. Phillips also found opportunities to score in the paint, driving to the lane through the defense. Even after these efforts, the Duhawks still trailed 54-52 after the third.

Fourth Quarter
The neck-and-neck competitiveness of the teams continued through to the final quarter. Neither team managed to secure a substantial lead, leading the outcome of the game to be determined in the final minutes. Loras jumped out to what looked to be a promising five-point lead with 7:36 remaining, but the Beavers responded with seven unanswered points to take a 64-62 lead.

With 1:53 left to play, Phillips blocked the shot of Becca Pennington to put the ball in Loras' possession. This defensive stop transitioned to back-to-back jumpers by Stanich and Phillips giving the Duhawks a 71-68 lead. Just when Loras thought that they had gained the lead for good, Buena Vista's Lexi Fisher sunk a 3-pointer to tie the game with 22 seconds left on the clock.

With the ball on Loras' end, coach Heinzen called back-to-back 30 second timeouts to draw up a winning play for his side. After their first attempt went awry, a full timeout by the Beavers gave Heinzen a second crack at the winning play. Senior Megan Jones passed the ball to Obendorf on the inbound and the 6-foot-2 forward scored with less than a second to spare to claim a 73-71 victory.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Lori Obendorf | Obendorf recorded her sixth double-double of the season finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds. She also tallied six blocks in addition to scoring the game-winning shot at the buzzer.
Kaitlin Phillips | Phillips filled the stat sheet on Saturday recording 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks. She shot 7-of-8 from the floor, 2-of-2 from behind the arc.

SOUNDBITES | Kaitlin Phillips & Kat Cabrera


SOUNDBITES | Justin Heinzen & Lori Obendorf


UP NEXT
The Duhawks will travel to Indianola, Iowa for their first away contest of the conference season against Simpson. The Storm (8-5, 1-1 IIAC) defeated Coe in a 75-71 victory on Saturday. The Duhawks defeated Simpson twice last season in conference play.