DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - For the second time this season, the match between Loras and University of Dubuque could not be settled in regulation, but this time around, it was the Spartans who came out on top, winning 71-64 in overtime. Junior Terese McMahon led the Duhawks with 26 points, adding seven rebounds in the process.

TURNING POINT
With 5:16 left to play in the fourth quarter, Loras was a head by eight, but fell upon a stoke of bad luck committing three turnovers and missing on two shots. Dubuque used this unfortunate streak to fire their way back, taking a 58-56 lead with 35 seconds to play. Junior Kat Cabrera made both of her free throws with 21 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Loras grabbed the first lead of the day on a layup from junior Lori Obendorf on an assist from Cabrera. The scoring went back and forth between the two teams with Dubuque grabbing a four-point lead with 2:36 to play on a jumper from Allison Biermeier. Emily Brinker dropped in a layup just before the buzzer to end the quarter with the Spartans in front, 17-14.

Second Quarter
The points continued to fall for Dubuque, extending their lead to seven within the first three minutes of the quarter. A jumper from McMahon coupled with a layup from Obendorf on consecutive possessions cut Dubuque's lead to three in less than 30 seconds at the 7:10 mark.

Only five more baskets would be scored over the remainder of the quarter, with three falling in favor of the Spartans. Dubuque got the last say with a 3-pointer from Brinker to send the teams to the halftime break with the Spartans ahead 35-28.

Third Quarter
Obendorf opened the second half in the same way as the first, scoring a layup within the first 30 seconds. The Duhawks cut what was once a seven-point deficit to one after another layup from Obendorf at the 7:36 mark. The Naperville, Ill. native finished with 16 points on the day.

Every time Loras came within striking distance of retaking the lead, Dubuque answered with a field goal of their own. The Duhawks closed on a 4-0 run, all by way of the free throw line, to cut the deficit to one at 47-46 heading to the fourth quarter.

Fourth Quarter
For the first time all day, the fourth quarter brought with it a resurgence of the Loras offense. Obendorf and McMahon combined for a 6-0 run to give the Duhawks the lead at 52-47 with 8:33 to play. The lead extended to eight, the largest of the day for Loras, with 5:16 to play after a layup by McMahon. Her 26 points on the day was a career-best, shooting 10-of-19 from the floor including 6-of-9 from the line.

The Duhawks' offensive prowess began to falter down the stretch as Loras went scoreless for the next 4:55, which allowed Dubuque to erase the eight-point deficit and jump ahead with 35 seconds to play. After a timeout from head coach Justin Heinzen, junior Kat Cabrera drove the lane and drew contact, which sent her to the line where she would sink both of her free-throws for two of her 12 points.

With their last possession, Dubuque's offense stagnated and failed to get a shot off, sending both teams to overtime for the second time this season.

Overtime
McMahon opened the scoring in overtime with a layup before Dubuque rattled off six unanswered points. Trailing by four with 1:43 to play, Loras went to the line on their next two possessions, but could only manage to convert on one of the four free-throw attempts. This forced the Duhawks to foul, where the Spartans sank 7-of-8 from the line down the stretch to seal the victory.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Terese McMahon | McMahon led the Duhawk offense with a career-best 26 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Before Saturday, McMahon's previous best scoring outing came against Luther back on Jan. 20 when she scored 23. McMahon now ranks third in the Iowa Conference in field goal percentage, standing in at 53.3 percent.

UP NEXT
Loras heads to Waverly, Iowa next Wednesday for the return trip against Wartburg. After starting the year 10-1, the Knights have gone 5-5 in conference play. On Saturday, Wartburg beat Coe on the road, 62-53. In their previous meeting this season in Dubuque, the Duhawks handed Wartburg a 59-55 loss.