DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Loras College women's basketball team came up short against Coe College, falling 58-52 on Saturday afternoon inside the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center.
Ashtyn Kelderman put Loras (4-9 overall, 0-4 American Rivers Conference) on the board first with a three-pointer on the teams opening possession. From that point, the two teams played a tightly contested first half, with the largest lead for either squad being five points.
After trailing by three (26-23) at halftime, Loras opened the third quarter with a 7-0 run thanks to baskets by Kelderman and
Claire Wagner and a three from
Lexi Beier. Coe (10-4, 4-0) would not go away easy and re-gained the lead after a jumper from Caydee Kirkham.
In the fourth, Kelderman gave the Duhawks a five-point lead (52-47) after her three-pointer with 3:44 remaining. The Kohawks went on to score nine of their last 11 points from the free throw line, with Kirkham going 4-for-4 down the stretch including two to give her team a six-point lead with 23 seconds left.
Kelderman led the Purple and Gold with 19 points, highlighted by 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc. Wagner finished with 12 points to go along with a team-high four rebounds.
The Kohawks got two double-double performances by Audrie Helmrichs and Kirkham. Helmrichs had a game-high 22 points and 12 rebounds, while Kirkham pured in 15 points and 10 rebounds as well as a game-high four assists.
Up Next: Loras will return to the court on Jan. 7 as they travel to Pella, Iowa to take on Central College. Tip-off from P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium is set for 5:30 p.m.
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