DUBUQUE, Iowa – Thanks to hot shooting in the second half and timely free throws down the stretch, the Loras College women's basketball team knocked off the No. 18 ranked Wisconsin Lutheran College Warriors 63-60, on Tuesday night.
Wisconsin Lutheran (4-1 Overall, 2-0 NACC) controlled most of the first half and took it's largest lead of the game after a Lilly Oiler layup put the Warriors up 12 (31-19) with a minute and a half left in the second period. Loras used a quick 5-0 run over the last minute to cut into the lead, and trailed 31-24 at the break.
Loras (3-2) opened the third quarter on a 12-2 run thanks to six points from
Claire Wagner and a three from
Ashtyn Kelderman. The two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter and Wisconsin Lutheran took a 41-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
Mila Van Weelden gave the Duhawks a 45-43 lead with her layup with just under seven minutes to go, but the Warriors re-gained the lead after a Kenly Frey three-pointer and two free throws and a three by Jayden Hill. Trailing by four,
Kiah Davis came up clutch with back-to-back three-pointers of her own to give her team a two-point lead with 3:13 to go. After a Loras timeout, the Purple and Gold used another quick 5-0 run after a layup by Kelderman and an old fashioned three-point play from Wagner to give Loras a 58-51 lead with two minutes remaining.
After some back-and-forth play, and free throws from both teams, the Warriors got two more free throws from Frey and a three-pointer from Abby Cole to cut the Loras lead to two (62-60). After a Wisconsin Lutheran foul, Kelderman went one-of-two from the line, giving Loras a three-point lead with seven seconds remaining. The Duhawk defense held strong on the final possession, forcing a missed three to hang on and complete the upset.
Loras shot an efficient 8-of-13 from the floor in the fourth quarter and connected on six free throws. Wagner led the Duhawks with 17 points. Kelderman added 12 points on 4-of-11 shooting, while
Lexi Beier and Davis added 10 points each. Beier also added a team-high four assists to her stat line.
Frey led all scorers with 19 points for Wisconsin Lutheran. Cole added 13 and nine rebounds for the Warriors.
Up Next: Loras will begin American Rivers Conference play on Dec. 3 as they face off against the Spartans from the University of Dubuque. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m.
