Dec. 3, 2022 – Saturday afternoon's game was never in question for the Loras College women's basketball team as a blazing start boosted the Duhawks to a lopsided 74-52 victory over Buena Vista University.

The Duhawks (5-1, 3-0 A-R-C) were firing on all cylinders at the start of the game, evidenced by a 14-0 scoring run to start the game before the Beavers (4-5, 0-2 A-R-C) could get on the scoreboard. Loras led 29-5 at the end of the first quarter and never let the margin get back to single digits for the remainder of the game.

Loras hoisted 22 field goals in the first quarter on Saturday, and half of those shot attempts came from behind the three-point line. The Duhawks connected on five of those 11 attempts from deep to set the tone for the rest of the game.

A pair of three-pointers near the end of the quarter for graduate guard Hannah Thiele sent the Duhawk lead to 20+ points. Loras and Buena Vista each sank eight three-pointers in the game, but it was Thiele who led all shooters with three makes from deep.
Those eight three-pointers are the second-most the Duhawks have made in a game this year behind nine from their 83-56 victory at Elmhurst University on Nov. 16.

Thiele was second on the team in scoring as senior guard Madison Fleckenstein led the way for a balanced offensive attack. Fleckenstein finished with 14 points on a 6-for-8 shooting performance from the field. Thiele was close behind with 13 points as the two were the only Duhawks in double-figures.

The balance on offense saw sophomore guard Silvana Scarsella come off the bench and score nine points for the Duhawks while the team's leading scorer, junior guard Sami Martin, finished with just eight points, marking the first time this season that she has not scored in double-figures. Even without scoring t her regular clip, Martin played a key role as she led all players with nine rebounds and added an assist and a steal.

Senior forward Madison Haslow only connected on one field goal in the game, but she was involved in a lot of the action as she finished with seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks, two steals, and six points on a perfect 4-for-4 performance from the free throw line.

Looking to build off this convincing victory, the Duhawks will hit the road in nonconference action this coming Wednesday, Dec. 7 at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville at 7 P.M.