CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Feb. 1, 2023) – Two of the top teams in the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) completed their regular-season series on Wednesday night, and it culminated in a season sweep for (RV) Loras College women's basketball as the Duhawks took down Coe College 69-46.

The final score doesn't tell a very accurate game story as the Duhawks (16-4, 9-2 A-R-C) and Kohawks (15-6, 7-5 A-R-C) kept things close throughout three quarters of play. Loras led by single digits for much of the game, but pulled away big time in the game's final 10 minutes.

The Duhawks headed to the fourth with a 45-41 lead after briefly being tied with the Kohawks during the third. Defensive intensity ramped up and the shots began to fall in the fourth as the Duhawks outscored Coe by a staggering 24-5 margin to finish out the game.

Loras scored the first nine points of the quarter to create some of the first real separation on the scoreboard in the game. That run was just the beginning as Coe went cold at the wrong time and shot just 2-for-16 from the field (12.5%) in the final quarter.

The Duhawk defense helped force a lot of one-and-done trips for the Kohawks and prevented them from getting many good looks. Coe turned the ball over 19 times total and four times in the final quarter.

Loras did not shoot the ball that well for much of the game, but went 7-for-12 from the field and 3-for-6 from three-point range over the final 10 minutes. The Duhawks made exactly one three-pointer in each of the previous three quarters before equaling that total in the fourth.

Junior guard Sami Martin led all scorers with 18 points on an 8-for-15 shooting performance and fell just one rebound shy of a double-double as she finished with nine. She was followed closely by senior guard Cierra Bachmann who totaled 15 points on a 5-for-9 shooting performance.

Bachmann went 2-for-3 from three-point range, making her one of two Duhawks to make more than one triple in the game as sophomore guard Silvana Scarsella did so while coming off the bench. Scarsella was the third and final Duhawks to score in double figures as she finished with 14.

The Duhawks entered the game in second place in the A-R-C standings and with a 1.5-game lead over the Kohawks. Both teams trail (RV) Wartburg College as the home stretch of the regular season gets underway. Completing the season sweep on Wednesday could prove pivotal in the quest for home-court advantage in the A-R-C Tournament.

The Duhawks return home this Saturday, Feb. 4 as they celebrate Senior Day with a 2 P.M. matchup with Central College.