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

Waverly, Iowa (Mar. 9, 2021) – After finishing their regular season nearly a week ago against the same opponent, the Loras College women's basketball team (6-6, 3-5 A-R-C) flipped the outcome from a week prior, securing a 71-63 upset victory over No. 4 Wartburg College Knights (13-3, 6-2 A-R-C) in the quarterfinal round of the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) women's basketball tournament.

The Duhawks came out firing on all cylinders to start the game, taking an early 15-6 lead due to a trio of three-pointers from Madison Haslow and Ashley Funk as well as Sydney Schuler. The Knights responded with three baskets in a row to close the gap to 15-11 with 5:10 left in the first quarter but a pair of three-pointers from Funk and Schuler returned the momentum back to the Duhawks. A Knight three-pointer to begin the second quarter cut the Duhawks' lead to one, 23-22, with 8:17 left in the half but was quickly matched by another three-pointer from Funk. With the Duhawks leading 34-30 with 1:17 left in the half, senior Lydia Breunig hit a key three-pointer with an assist from Cierra Bachmann followed by a last second layup from Haslow, making the halftime score 40-30 in favor of the Duhawks.

The Knights responded in the second half, stifling the Duhawks to open the third quarter. A 15-4 run from Wartburg put the Knights in the lead for the first time in the game but a Sami Martin layup with :53 left in the third quarter deadlocked the two conference rivals at 46-46 heading into the final frame. A timely steal from Funk to begin the fourth quarter sparked a Duhawk run consisting of two consecutive three-pointers from Haslow giving the Duhawks a 56-50 lead with 6:38 left in the game. A three-pointer from the Knights to close the gap was hastily mirrored from Funk and Schuler, granting a 62-53 nine-point cushion for the Duhawks. A late run from the Knights was too little too late as a Martin layup and a pair of free throws from Funk and Schuler at the :25 secured an upset victory over the Knights and locked up a berth to the semifinal round of the A-R-C tournament.

Haslow sparked the Duhawks with a team-high 16 points along with 15 points and five steals from Funk who was efficient with an 80% clip from three-point range. Madison Fleckenstein tallied six rebounds while Bachmann chipped in five assists. Bachmann and Jessica Coulthard both compiled a team-high two blocks for the Duhawks.

The Duhawks will continue the post-season in the A-R-C semifinals, facing off against No. 2 seeded Coe College on Thursday, Mar. 11 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Tip-off from Kohawk Arena is to be determined.