DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Loras College women's basketball team fell short in its season opener, 64-53, to the Prairie Fire of Knox College on Friday night inside the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center.

The Duhawks got off to a slow start to begin the game as they were only able to score nine points compared to the Prairie Fires' 11 in the opening quarter.

In the second quarter, Loras (0-1, 0-0 A-R-C) took a 12-11 lead and led by as many as nine points 24-15, but going into halftime Knox (1-0, 0-0 Midwest) cut the lead down to three (27-24).

Niyeli Nidez Acuña led the way for the Prairie Fire with 21 points and 12 rebounds. Not far behind was Bria Medina who had 16 points and 4 rebounds on the night. As a team, Knox shot 36.7 percent (22-of-60) from the floor and 25 percent (3-of-12) from behind the arc.

Silvana Scarsella was the team leader in points for the Duhawks, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Kylie Rigby and Ashtyn Kelderman were both just one point shy of Scarsella chipping in 12 points apiece. Loras shot 27.3 percent (18-of-66) from the field and just 21.1 percent (8-of-38) from behind the arc.

Up Next: The Purple and Gold take on the Titans of UW-Oshkosh Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2:30 p.m. for the final day of the Loras Tip-Off Classic.