CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Loras College women's basketball team opened American Rivers Conference play with a 51-36 victory over Coe College inside Kohawk Arena on Tuesday evening.

Both teams struggled to gain any sort of offensive momentum throughout the course of the game. The Duhawks were unable to put the ball through the net until over two minutes of play had passed. Neither squad scored another basket after that for the next 2:26 and the Purple and Gold led by just five points at the end of the first period.

The Kohawks outscored the Duhawks in the second quarter 13-10, but Loras (4-0 overall, 1-0 A-R-C) held onto a narrow 24-22 lead at the half.

The Loras defense held Coe (4-1, 0-1) to back-to-back single digit quarters in route to its third double-digit victory so far this season.

Taylor Brunson led the Kohawks with 11 points, four steals and five rebounds. Kaalyn Petersen contributed nine points and seven boards, while Ellie Wisner added in six points in the loss. As a team, Coe shot 28.6 percent (16-of-56) from the field and struggled from behind the arc, shooting just 7.7 percent (1-of-13).

Sami Martin and Madison Fleckenstein led a balanced attack for the Duhawks scoring 10 points apiece to go along with nine and eight rebounds respectively. Madison Haslow followed closely behind with nine points and nine rebounds, while also dishing out a team-high four assists. Loras shot 32.3 percent (20-of-62) from the field and 29.2 percent (7-of-24) from downtown.

Up Next: The Duhawks return to Lillis Court on Wednesday, Nov. 29 to take on the Wartburg College Knights. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.