Contact:
Emily Adlfinger, Director of Athletic Communications, 563-588-7970
Dec. 29, 2021 – In its highest scoring outing this season, the Loras College women's basketball team (8-3, 2-1 A-R-C) scored 30 points in the first quarter and added another 30 in the final ten minutes behind a season-high 26 points by freshman
Emerson Whittenbaugh to defeat Bethany Lutheran College (7-5, 0-2 UMAC) 94-78 on Wednesday inside the Patrick J. Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center.
Sami Martin snared a steal to start the game after the Vikings took it off the tip and scored the first points of the game for the Duhawks off a layup. Bethany Lutheran took back some momentum and held the lead for the first five minutes before a barrage of three pointers by Whittenbaugh,
Cierra Bachmann and
Sydney Schuler put Loras ahead 19-13 with 4:17 on the clock. The Vikings tried to chip away over the next two possessions but more strong three-point shooting by
Madison Fleckenstein and Whittenbaugh gave Loras a ten-point lead and Whittenbaugh put up a layup to grow the lead to 257-15 with 2:05 left in the first quarter. Whittenbaugh continued to be a sharp shooter with her third three-pointer of the quarter with 13 seconds left to give Loras a 30-18 lead after the first ten minutes.
The Duhawks extended their lead to start the second quarter with a 7-2 run in the first five minutes, leading 39-22. Whittenbaugh added another three-pointer with 3:26 left in the half to pull ahead 42-24 and Loras closed out the half with a 5-0 run and a 47-29 lead. To open the second half, Bachmann and
Allie Brownson gave the Duhawks their largest lead of the game, up 55-33, off back-to-back three-pointers. Bethany Lutheran stayed resilient and came back to cut into the deficit, 59-46, with 2:26 left in the third but a three-pointer by Schuler gave the Duhawks some distance back to hold onto a 16-point, 64-48 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
It was a big fourth quarter for both teams as the Vikings and Duhawks posted 30 points in the final ten minutes, started off by Schuler hitting another three-pointer on the first Duhawk possession. Both teams traded points and kept a high tempo but Loras had the edge to hold off any comeback attempt by the Vikings, closing out the game with a 9-1 run in the final two minutes to take the 94-78.
Whittenbaugh had a season high 26 points with 10-15 shooting from the field and went 6-10 from three-point range, putting her fifth in the single game record book for made three-pointers. Bachmann (16), Martin (15), Schuler (12) and Fleckenstein (12) all scored in the double figures while Martin led the team with six rebounds and Bachmann had nine assists. Both Fleckenstein and Bachmann had four steals. The Duhawks were hot from beyond the arc, shooting 50 percent and forced the Vikings to commit 18 turnovers.
The Duhawks are back in action for the second game of the holiday tournament on Dec. 30 against the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse who is coming off nearly upsetting No. 10-ranked Simpson College earlier on Wednesday. Tip-off on Thursday is set for 6 P.M.
