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

WAVERLY, Iowa (Feb. 19, 2022) – The Loras College women's basketball team (18-7, 12-4 A-R-C) wrapped up the regular season schedule in thrilling fashion as the Duhawks took the No. 19-ranked Wartburg College Knights (20-4, 13-3 A-R-C) to double overtime inside Levick Arena on Saturday, but the hosts found their spark in the final minutes of extra time, coming away with a 95-86 win.

It took either team nearly two minutes to get on the board but Sami Martin was the one to break away and give Loras the early 2-0 lead. It took another two minutes for either team to strike again but it was once again the Duhawks with a three-pointer from Hannah Thiele to extend the lead, 5-0. The Knight went on a 5-0 run to tie it up with 3:34 left in the quarter and foreshadowing the battle that was about to ensue, the score remained tied, 11-11 at the end of the first quarter. The Knights opened up the second quarter with a three-pointer but the Duhawks responded right back with one from Sydney Schuler. Wartburg found a burst in the heart of the quarter, pulling ahead by as much as eight, but a layup by Martin with 3:27 left in the half sparked a 9-0 run for the Duhawks to take a 29-28 lead at the break.

Madison Haslow got the Duhawks rolling to start the second half with a three-pointer and drew a foul on Loras' next possession, adding two free throws to extend the lead 34-28. Cierra Bachmann drained a three-pointer to keep Loras' streak going and Thiele joined in with one of her own, putting the Duhawks up 40-31 with five minutes on the clock. Schuler gave the Duhawks their largest lead of the contest, up ten, with another three-pointer and Martin made sure Loras kept that momentum going with a layup in the final minute of the quarter, leading the Knights 48-38 going into the fourth quarter.

The Knights cut into Loras' lead with diligent offense and a three-point burst at the five-minute mark put the Knights within striking distance, trailing by one. Emerson Whittenbaugh came away with a layup on the next possession and a three-pointer by Haslow put Loras up 61-54 with 3:19 left in the quarter. Wartburg hit two three-pointers to make it a three-point game with just over two minutes to go and chipped into the lead with two more free throws with 1:46 left to come back within one point. Martin made it a three-point game with 36 seconds to go but another three-pointer in a 29-point quarter for the Knights tied the game as time expired and sent it into overtime.

Wartburg hit a three-pointer to start overtime play but Schuler responded with one of her own, tying it again. The Knights held control for much of the period but with under two minutes to play, Haslow tied it up in overtime, 78-78, with a three-pointer as the shot clock was expiring and Bachmann followed with a layup, going coast to coast, to give Loras the lead with one minute to play. The Knights tied it up with 30 seconds remaining and tried to seal with win with a floater as time expired, but the shot came up after the buzzer sounded, sending the game into double overtime.

The Knights opened up the second overtime period with a three-pointer and with both teams in double bonus, Whittenbaugh went to the line following a foul to make one of two free throws and cut Wartburg's lead 83-81. The Knights tacked on back-to-back layups early in the period to pull ahead 87-81 and continued their run with another layup, forcing a timeout by the Duhawks with an 89-81 lead. Coming out of the timeout, Fleckenstein knocked down a three-pointer to cut into the lead with just under two minutes to play and the junior added a pair of free throws to make it a three-point game. In the waning minute, Wartburg took a 91-86 lead with a layup and put up two more free throws with 20 seconds left to extend the lead, 93-86. With time expiring, the Duhawks needed to draw the foul and sent the Knights back to the line for two more free throws for a nine-point lead with 13 seconds and held out for the win in a marathon thriller.

Fleckenstein led the team with 24 points, a career-high for the second-straight game, and made three three-pointers along with Haslow (15 points) and Schuler (nine points). Martin added 16 points and 12 rebounds for the double-double while Bachmann tallied 11 points and seven assists. As a team, the Duhawks outrebounded the Knights 58-47 and capitalized with 14 second chance points but the Knights' bench players rallied to post 61 of the 95 points and Wartburg held the edge in shooting, going 81 percent from the free-throw line, 36 percent from downtown and 40 percent from the field.

The Duhawks lock up the No. 3 seed and will host the opening round of the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 22, facing No. 6 seed Coe College in the quarterfinal. Tip-off inside the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center is 7 P.M.