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

Feb. 16, 2022 – The Loras College women's basketball team (18-6, 12-3 A-R-C) won their sixth-straight American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) matchup and third-straight home game on Wednesday, taking down the University of Dubuque (14-10, 8-7 A-R-C), 88-82, in the crosstown rivalry showdown.

Dubuque scored first to open the game but the Duhawks' night started with back-to-back three-pointers by Sydney Schuler to take the lead. Dubuque had another quick run pull back ahead at 7:49 but Cierra Bachmann put up a layup and Madison Fleckenstein added a jumper to put Loras back ahead, 10-8, with 6:30 remaining inthe first quarter. The Spartans took back the lead with five minutes left but Fleckenstein went to work with a jumper and a three-pointer to bring Loras within one and a buzzer-beater three-pointer by Schuler gave the Duhawks the advantage after ten minutes of play.

Schuler kept it going with another three-ball to start the second quarter and Emerson Whittenbaugh extended Loras' lead to 35-26 at the midway point of the quarter with a pair of free throws and a three-pointer. Whittenbaugh added another three-pointer at the three minute mark and Schuler followed with another one minute later to keep the run going, capped off with Fleckenstein knocking down another buzzer-beater three-pointer for a 48-36 lead at the half.

Fleckenstein helped the Duhawks open the second half with a three-pointer but the Spartans quickly found momentum and posted a 15-0 run through the heart of the quarter, erasing the deficit and taking a 57-55 lead with three minutes on the clock. Schuler stopped the run with another three-pointer and Fleckenstein added another in the final seconds but the Spartans' 28-point performance in the third quarter put them ahead, 64-63, heading into the final ten minutes.

The Duhawks responded back with a big fourth quarter to stave off the comeback. Haslow opened up the scoring with a three-pointer to take the lead but the Spartans came right back with a layup on the next possession, tying it 66-66. A layup by Bachmann and five free throws for the Duhawks put Loras back in command, up 73-66 with 5:18 remaining and a three-pointer by Schuler two minutes later extended the lead, 79-71. Loras took an 11-point lead off another three-pointer, this time by Haslow but Dubuque was not done battling, coming back within six with a three-pointer with 20 seconds on the clock. The Duhawks forced the Spartans to take some hurried shots in a late comeback attempt, but as time expired, it was Loras who would take the win, 88-82.

Fleckenstein scored a career-high 23 points with 8-13 shooting from the field and 4-7 from three-point range while Schuler led the team with a career-best seven three-pointers for 21 points. Bachmann dished out six assists and Jaime Ryan led the team defensively with six rebounds. The Duhawks were hot on offense, shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc and 46 percent from the field and grabbed 32 rebounds to the Spartans' 29. Dubuque held the advantage in steals with eight and limited their turnovers with 14 to Loras' 17. Dubuque's Karsen Kershner led all scorers with 27 points.

The Duhawks look for their seventh-straight win to conclude the regular season on the road at Wartburg College on Saturday, Feb. 19. Tip-off in Waverly is set for 2 P.M.