INDIANOLA, Iowa (Nov. 22, 2022) – Loras College's women's basketball team didn't let a mid-game slump slow them down as the Duhawks overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to steal away a 45-41 victory at Simpson College in the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) opener on Tuesday night.

The Duhawks (3-1, 1-0 A-R-C) struggled to shoot the ball on Tuesday and connected on just two of the three-point attempts, but stuck to what was working and scored 34 of their 45 points in the paint. Loras also took advantage of their opportunities and outpaced the Storm (2-3, 0-1 A-R-C) in both points off turnovers (12-7) and second-chance points (12-2).

Loras got the game started on a hot streak as eight first-quarter points from junior guard Sami Martin had the Duhawks up by as many as eight in the opening period before taking a five-point lead into the second quarter.

A pair of early buckets put Loras back up by nine, but the Storm flipped the script and ended the half on a 13-2 run to take their first lead of the game and head into halftime with a 21-19 advantage. The Duhawks were held without a field goal for nearly eight minutes to end the half as the only points came on a pair of free throws from senior forward Madison Haslow.

Simpson built its lead up to as high as six points midway through the fourth quarter but couldn't fully pull away from the Duhawks. Martin again found a hot streak and connected on three straight layups and went on a personal 6-0 run to give the Duhawks their first lead of the second half at 41-39 with just over a minute left to play.

After a game-tying basket from Simpson, Loras went back to Martin again as she split a double team for another go-ahead layup with just 18 seconds remaining.
On the ensuing possession, senior guard Madison Fleckenstein came away with a steal that ultimately sealed the game after senior guard Cierra Bachmann sank a pair of free throws to lift the Duhawks to a 45-41 victory.  

Martin led all-scorers with a season-high 20 points on 10-for-17 shooting from the field. The junior also pulled in nine rebounds to fall just one shy of a double-double.

Bachmann joined Martin in double figures, finishing with 11 points while making three of Loras' five free throws in the game. Haslow led all players with 13 rebounds in the game to mark a career high.

The Duhawks will get a week to prepare for their next game as A-R-C play continues Wednesday, Nov. 30 with a home game versus Coe College at 5:30 P.M.