DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Loras College women's basketball team came up short in their American Rivers Conference opener against the University of Dubuque Spartans, 63-51 on Wednesday night.

A three-pointer from Ashtyn Kelderman gave the Duhawks (3-3 overall, 0-1 A-R-C) their first lead of the game (5-4) four minutes into the game. The two teams traded baskets the remainder of the quarter and the Spartans took a 12-10 lead into the second quarter.

Both squads played a closely contested second quarter. A layup by Christina Simonetti gave UD (3-4 overall, 1-0 A-R-C) a 23-22 lead with just over two-minutes remaining in the frame. The two teams went scoreless over the final two-minutes as UD took the one-point lead into halftime.

The University of Dubuque ran away with the third quarter, outscoring the Duhawks 21-7 in the 10 minutes. The Spartans were 9-of-17 from the floor in the frame, and 2-4 from deep to pull away.

Loras was able to cut the lead down to five (44-39) after a jumper from Claire Wagner three and a half minutes into the fourth. A layup by Grace Brumley put an end to the 7-0 Loras run. Three-minutes later, Kiah Davis connected on a three to once again cut the UD lead to five with 4:24 remaining, but that's the closest the Duhawks would get.  The Spartans made six of their seven free throw attempts in the quarter to hang on and win, 63-51.

Wagner led all scorers with 14 points and also grabbed eight rebounds. Davis finished with 11 points while Kelderman finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds for Loras. UD was led by Simonetti who had 13 points while Avery Green finished with 12.

Up Next: The Duhawks return to action on Saturday, Dec. 6 to take on Simpson College. Tip-off from Indianola is set for 2 p.m.