PELLA, Iowa – The Loras College women's basketball team fell 63-73 to the Dutch of Central College Saturday afternoon.

In the first, Loras (5-9, 2-3) got on the board first by way of Emerson Whittenbaugh who made a two-point jumper and put the Duhawks up 2-0. For the remainder of the quarter each team traded buckets and the Duhawks were able to hold onto a narrow 21-19 lead headed into the second.

Central (9-5, 2-3) rallied back in the second as they would tie the score three separate times in the second quarter, but the Duhawks would manage to find a way to outscore the Dutch and lead 40-36 heading into the second half.

The in the final two quarters the Dutch tightened its defense and limited the Duhawk offense 10 points in the third and 23 points overall after the intermission. Central took the lead 44-42 with 6:35 left in the third and never looked back.

Central's Emily Naughton led the way with a game-high 30 points in addition to pulling down eight rebounds, five assists, and a steal. The only other double-digit scorer for the Dutch was Cece Moore who earned a double-double by contributing 13 points and 13 rebounds along with two blocks, an assist and a steal. The home team shot 41.1 (23-56) percent from the floor and 81.0 (17-21) from the free throw line.

Leading the way for the Duhawks was Whittenbaugh who tied her career best in points with 26 while also securing five rebounds and a steal. Daniella Jarrell and Silvana Scarsella each added nine and eight points apiece. Loras as a team shot 33.8 (22-65) percent from the field and 64.3 (9-14) percent from the charity stripe.

Up Next: The Purple and Gold will look to bounce back as they take on the Norse of Luther College on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m.