Contact: Emily Adlfinger, Director of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7970

WAVERLY, Iowa (Jan. 11, 2020) – A trio of free throws from Macenzie Kraemer and a three-pointer from Kari Fitzpatrick in the final five minutes of the contest helped seal a hard-fought 82-78 win for the No. 19 Loras College women's basketball team (14-1, 5-1 A-R-C) against American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) rival and No. 5-ranked team in Division III, Wartburg College (12-2, 4-1 A-R-C) on Saturday.

Loras took the lead right from the start off a layup and free throw from Kraemer before Fitzpatrick drained her first three-pointer of the game off an assist from Marissa Schroeder. The Duhawks kept the lead throughout the first quarter but the Knights tied the score 14-14 with 3:15 on the clock before a three-pointer from Ally Conrad to give Wartburg the lead and spark a run to take a 22-16 lead with under two minutes to play in the first quarter. Schroeder grabbed a pass from Courtney Schnoor to put in a layup and Riley Eckhart followed suit with a three-pointer to cut the score 22-21. Schroeder closed out the quarter at the free-throw line to give Loras a 23-22 lead after the first quarter.

Fitzpatrick opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to keep Loras ahead, but the Duhawks soon had to battle back in a seesaw second quarter with the Knights coming out ahead with a 44-39 lead going into the locker room.

Although the Knights held the lead throughout the third quarter, Loras began to set itself up for what would shape up to be a critical fourth quarter. The Duhawks scored 25 points to Wartburg's 22 points in the third quarter, thanks to 11 points from Schroeder, and went into the final ten minutes within two points of the Knights.

A win was within reach for Loras as the Duhawks quickly cut down Wartburg's lead to one with a jump shot from Schnoor and a free throw from Fitzpatrick tied the game 67-67 with 6:21 remaining. Another three-pointer from Conrad gave Wartburg a 70-67 lead but Kraemer drew a foul beyond the arc and made all three of her free throws to spark the run the Duhawks needed to overthrow the No. 5-ranked Knights.

Loras limited Wartburg to eight points in the final five minutes while the Duhawks tallied 12 points.

Schroeder led all players with 23 points while Fitzpatrick grabbed nine rebounds and tallied 17 points. Kraemer also posted double figures, scoring 18 points while Cierra Bachmann and Ashley Funk helped the Duhawks keep possession with two steals apiece. Loras shot 90% from the free-throw line, shooting perfect throughout the first three quarters.

Loras takes a week to prepare for another A-R-C rival matchup against the University of Dubuque as the Duhawks host the Spartans on Saturday, Jan. 18 for Senior Day. Tip-off inside the Athletic & Wellness Center is set for 2 P.M.