Nov. 30, 2022 – Things were trending in the wrong direction for the Loras College women's basketball team midway through Wednesday night's game, but a stout fourth-quarter performance was enough for the Duhawks to escape with a 58-53 win.

The Duhawks (4-1, 2-0 A-R-C) improved to 2-0 in American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) action with the victory over the Kohawks (4-3, 0-2 A-R-C) that was made possible by a 24-point output in the fourth quarter.

Loras led 30-25 heading into the halftime break after a steady opening two quarters. The Duhawks led by as many as nine in the first 20 minutes of action, but never fully pulled away as the Kohawks stayed within striking distance. 

Coe pounced on its opportunity in the third quarter as the visitors outscored Loras 11-4 in the period to take a 36-34 lead heading to the final frame. Those four points for Loras were tallied via field goals from senior guards Cierra Bachmann and Madison Fleckenstein that came five minutes apart from one another.

That cold streak nearly gave the Kohawks the boost they needed to escape with a road win, but the Duhawks had other plans. The two sides traded baskets early in the fourth quarter as three pointers from reserve guards Hannah Thiele and Silvana Scarsella helped cut into the deficit.

Scarsella's three-pointer with just over five minutes to play ignited a 13-0 run for the Duhawks that suddenly saw them go from down six to up seven with 1:30 remaining in the game. A three-pointer from Fleckenstein bookended the run and came on an assist from junior guard Sami Martin, who helped spearhead the high-scoring quarter that led the Duhawks to a 58-53 win.

Martin finished with a team-high 14 points, 12 of which came during the fourth quarter as she added three assists and four steals to her line. Bachmann joined Martin in double figures with 13 as both players sank six free throws each during the game.

Loras saw five different players make exactly one three-pointer in the game with three of them coming in the fourth quarter. The Duhawks were 6-for-9 (66.7%) from the field in the fourth quarter compared to a 2-for-14 (14.3%) shooting performance in the third quarter.

The Duhawks will look to stay unbeaten in the A-R-C this Saturday, Dec. 3, when they host Buena Vista University at 2 P.M.