DUBUQUE, Iowa – (1/11/23) On Wednesday evening the University of Dubuque women's basketball team traveled a mile north to take on crosstown rival Loras College Duhawks. The Spartans are coming off a week long break since there last game against Coe. Both teams started off sluggish but the Duhawks found their grove in the third quarter on their way to a 63-39 victory.

The game started slow offensively as both teams had a slew of turnovers. The Spartans were held scoreless more than halfway through the first quarter until Lauren Livingston made a free throw to cut the deficit to six as the Duhawks led 7-1 with 3 minutes remaining in the quarter. The Duhawks continued to force turnovers and as a result Loras led 16-6 after the first.

Three minutes into the second quarter the Spartans took a timeout as they found themselves down 21-6. At the halfway point through the second quarter Tabria Thomas converted on a three-point play from an and-one layup that sparked a 10-0 run for the Spartans to close out the half. In the ensuing minutes, Thomas converted on another and-one layup followed by a baseline jump shot from Madi Petersen as the quarter came to a close. The Spartans entered halftime with momentum as they cut the lead to 10, trailing 26-16. Swarming defense by the Spartans held the Duhwaks scoreless in the last five and half minutes of the first half.

The Spartans were hoping to generate a spark in the third quarter. However, the Spartans were limited to just nine attempts from the field. The Duhawks outscored the Spartans by 12 to extend their largest lead of the game to 48-26. Halfway through the fourth quarter the Duhawks stretched out their lead by as many as 26. As the final buzzer sounded the Spartans were defeated 63-39.

On the night, the Spartans shot 27% (12-44) from the field meanwhile the Duhawks shot 41% and 35% from beyond the arc. Aggressive defense from the Duhawks forced 25 turnovers which they converted into 16 points. Tabria Thomas was the lone Spartan in double figures with 13 followed by Morgan Hawkins with nine. Kathleen Mathias chipped in seven rebounds and three assists. The Spartans are now 9-6 overall and 3-3 in conference.

Up Next
The Spartans will continue on the road as they face Simpson College Storm this Saturday, January 14. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 2:00 p.m.