DUBUQUE, Iowa – Despite trailing by as many as 17, the Loras College women's basketball team found a way to come back and defeat the No.3-seeded Coe College Kohawks, 61-60, on Thursday night inside the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center.

After trading baskets over the first five minutes of play, the Kohawks broke the 11-11 tie with a 12-0 run to close out the quarter.

Coe (21-6 overall, 11-5 American Rivers Conference) maintained an 11-point lead at the half, but the Duhawks came out of the break with new life, cutting the deficit to just three points (48-45) and holding the visitors to just eight third quarter points.

Sami Martin and Daniella Jarrell secured the victory for the Duhawks with their performances in the final period. The pair were the only two Loras (23-3, 14-2) players to score in the fourth, finishing key layups and knocking in much-needed free throws.

The Duhawks regained the lead for the first time since the first half of the first quarter with 2:22 left to play in the contest. The Kohawks responded just 17 seconds later with a basket by Alina Anderson to give them a one-point advantage. A layup by Martin and a couple of free throws by Jarrell gave the Purple and Gold their biggest lead of the night (3) with 12 seconds to go. Coe's Ellie Wisner tied things up at 60 with a three-pointer with nine seconds left on the clock. On the next possession, Jarrell grabbed an offensive rebound following a missed three-point attempt and went back up to draw a foul with .4 seconds left in regulation. She went 1-for-2 from the line to send the Duhawks to their second consecutive A-R-C title game.

Kelly Knight led the way for Coe with 16 points and a trio of steals. Wisner and Taylor Brunson rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Kohawks with 11 and 10 points respectively. As a team, Coe shot 47.9 percent (23-of-48) from the floor and 50 percent (11-of-22) from three.

Martin led all scorers with a season-high 27 points. The Platteville, Wis. native shot 60 percent (9-of-15) from the field and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Jarrell finished the night with 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists. As a team, the Duhawks shot 40.8 percent (20-of-49) from the floor and 83.3 percent (15-of-18) from the foul line.

Up Next: The Duhawks travel to Waverly, Iowa to take on the No. 1 seed, Wartburg College, on Saturday, Feb. 24. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.