By: Cade Messer | Athletic Communications Student Assistant 

Feb. 23, 2023 –The postseason has arrived for No. 19 Loras College women's basketball as the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Tournament began this week. The Duhawks (21-4, 14-2 A-R-C), who finished second in conference play, only behind Wartburg College, received a first-round bye in the A-R-C Tournament. The Duhawks' postseason will officially tip off Thursday as they'll play host to Simpson College at 7 P.M. inside the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center.

The Duhawks had an impressive 2022-23 regular season where they posted an overall record of 21-4, including four wins over top 25 opponents. The month of December was a successful one for the Duhawks where they posted a 6-1 record including three wins over nationally ranked opponents. The Duhawks are coming into Thursday night's matchup riding an eight-game winning streak following their 63-55 win over No. 20 Wartburg College last Saturday and have not lost since Jan. 18.

Thursday night's opponent in third-seeded Simpson did not find as much success as the Duhawks in December and struggled early on. The Storm's 2022-23 campaign got off to a slow start where they lost 7 of their first 10 games and ended 2022 with a 6-7 record. In 2023 the Storm have flipped the switch and are on a roll winning 11 of their last 14 games and have rattled off six consecutive wins. Their most recent win came Tuesday night in the A-R-C quarterfinals where they took down the University of Dubuque 95-70.

Thursday night's A-R-C semifinal matchup will be the third meeting this season between the Duhawks and Storm. In their first meeting of the year, Loras defeated Simpson 45-41 in Indianola. It was a back-and-forth game and the Duhawks found themselves trailing by six in the final few minutes of the game. Thanks to a 12-point second half by junior Sami Martin, she was able to help rally the Duhawks to give them the final edge over the Storm.

In the most recent meeting between the two teams almost a month ago, it was a lopsided 85-60 win for the Duhawks. A-R-C Player of the Year candidate Martin once again lead the Duhawks offensively scoring 14 points while sophomore Daniella Jarrell brought down six rebounds and senior Madison Haslow added four assists.

The Duhawks will look to continue their eight-game winning streak and their quest for an A-R-C Championship on Thursday night with a win over Simpson while the Storm will come to Dubuque looking to play spoiler.

The winner of the semifinal matchup will take on the winner of No. 1 seed Wartburg College and No. 5 seed Luther College in the A-R-C Tournament Championship game on Saturday, Feb. 25. The location and start time are to be announced.