WAVERLY, Iowa (Feb. 25, 2023) – It's time to go dancing for No. 19 Loras College women's basketball as the Duhawks beat No. 24 Wartburg College 72-61 on Saturday afternoon to win the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Tournament and secure an automatic bid to the upcoming NCAA Division III National Tournament.

The Duhawks (23-4) used a massive 27-point third quarter to pull away from the Knights (21-6) and hand the regular season champions their first home loss of the 2022-23 season. The title is the fourth for the Duhawks in program history and the first since 2016.

Winning the tournament title takes the guess work out of the equation as the Duhawks now know that they are guaranteed a spot in the national tournament field. Wartburg will have to wait until Monday's selection show to know for certain if it is a tournament-worthy team.

Loras was balanced on offense all afternoon in Waverly as four Duhawks finished in double figures. This game had "instant classic" written all over it in as the sides traded buckets in the first half and the largest lead was an early four-point advantage for the Knights.

Sophomore forward Emerson Whittenbaugh provided a spark off the bench in the first quarter as she tallied six points and a pair of steals to help get the Duhawks out of that four-point hole.

Senior guard Cierra Bachmann connected on a floating jumper to beat the first quarter buzzer and give the Duhawks a 19-17 lead. She tried to beat the buzzer again to end the half, but she couldn't sink the second try as Loras went into the break with a 33-32 lead.

The Duhawks outpaced the Knights 27-16 in the third quarter as they were as hot as hot can get during that 10-minute stretch, shooting 71.4 percent (10-for-14) from the field overall and 66.7 percent (4-for-6 from three-point range. Bachmann was responsible for three of Loras' four three-pointers in the period as the senior found a groove that helped boost the Duhawks to a 12-point lead heading to the fourth.

As they've done so many times this year, the Duhawks managed their lead well down the stretch and didn't do much of anything that could hurt their cause. Loras was 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final frame and finished 14-for-18 on the game.
After a pair of Wartburg baskets in the opening minute, the Duhawks defense put the clamps on and didn't allow another made field goal until the final minute as they maintained the gap and put an end to any hopes the Knights had of sweeping the A-R-C championships.

Bachmann led all players with 23 points and accounted for half of Loras' eight three-pointers. She was joined in double figures by junior guard Sami Martin (17), senior guard Madison Fleckenstein (13), and Whittenbaugh (10).

Martin had a quiet 17 as a big part of her contributions came in the lane as she secured six total rebounds, three of which were at the offensive end. Loras finished with 13 offensive boards and converted them into 13 second chance points.

Having not lost a game since Jan. 18, the Duhawks will enter the NCAA Tournament riding a 10-game winning streak. The location of their first-round games, as well as their opening opponent, will be revealed during the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, Feb. 27 at 1:30 P.M. CST.