DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Loras College women's basketball team earned a 68-62 victory over the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in the championship game of the Mike Molstead Motors Tip Off Classic on Saturday afternoon.
The Eagles held an early 12-3 lead in the opening quarter, but the Duhawks turned things around in just over three minutes of play to take a 15-14 lead with 1:08 remaining in the first period. Lindsey Knuth's buzzer beater shot gave UW-La Crosse a one-point advantage heading into the second quarter.
Loras (2-0) outscored the Eagles 17-11 in the second period to hold a 32-27 advantage at the half.
Each team fought for every point in the second half, which resulted in the score being tied up seven times in the final 20 minutes of the contest.
The Duhawks went 6-of-7 from the foul line in the final 1:02 to break the 62-62 tie and grab their second win of the season.
Lauryn Milne led the way for UW-La Crosse (1-1) with 13 points. Katie Waukau added in 12 points, while Kailee Meeker and Knuth contributed 10 points apiece. Grace Knupp dished out a game-high five assists to go along with eight points and a pair of steals in the loss. The Eagles shot 41.2 percent (21-of-51) from the field and 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from downtown.
Sami Martin and
Emerson Whittenbaugh led the Duhawk offense with 16 points apiece, while
Daniella Jarrell chipped in 10 points and four assists.
Madison Haslow pulled down a game-high eight rebounds, while also adding nine points and three steals to her stat line. As a team, Loras shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the field.
Up Next: The Purple and Gold travel to St. Louis, Mo. to take on the Fontbonne University Griffins on Wednesday, Nov. 15. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.
