DECORAH, Iowa - (2/18/23) The University of Dubuque women's basketball team traveled north for the final regular season game of the year against the Norse of Luther College. The battle for the fifth seed in the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) tournament was on the line, as both teams entered the contest with a 7-8 conference record. In the end, the Norse snuck away with the slim victory as the Spartans were defeated 54-52.

The Norse started the game off hot as they jumped out to a seven point lead after the first quarter. Offensively, the Spartans struggled as they shot 22% from the field in the opening quarter. While the Norse shot an effective 41%.

Three minutes into the second quarter the Spartans trailed by nine (24-15). The Spartans cut the deficit to three using a 6-0 run thanks to threes from Isabella Tierney and Kathleen Mathias. At halftime, the Spartans found themselves down by seven (28-21). 

Early in the third, the Norse extended their largest lead of the game to 11 (32-21). On the ensuing possession, Tierney connected with her second three of the night, jump starting a 14-0 run for the Spartans to take a three point lead (35-32). During the run, the defense for the Spartans forced eight turnovers and held the Norse scoreless for over seven minutes. The Spartans outscored the Norse by nine in the third to take a two point lead heading into the fourth quarter (38-36). 

Entering the fourth, both teams traded buckets as the score was knotted at 47-47 with five minutes remaining. A layup from Morgan Hawkins put the Spartans up by three with two minutes to go. A foul on the other end gave the Norse two free throws which cut the Spartan lead to one (52-51). The Spartans had a chance to increase their lead but a missed jumper from Hawkins gave the ball back to the Norse with a minute left. The Spartans did their job defensively as Megan Miller for the Norse missed a three pointer, but a foul was called by Mia Miller on a boxout underneath. The Norse were in the bonus, and as a result sank two free throws to take the lead 54-52 with 12 seconds left. In the final possession, the Spartans had a chance to tie the game but a mid-range jumper from Miller hit the back iron and bounced out at the horn. 

Tabria Thomas led the Spartans in scoring with 22 points on 8-13 attempts from the field and 6-8 from the free throw line. Isabella Tierney was the other Spartan in double figures with 12. The Spartans forced a total of 23 turnovers which resulted in 17 points. The Spartans finished the season with 13-12 overall record and 7-9 in A-R-C play.

Up Next
The Spartans received the sixth seed in the A-R-C tournament and will travel to take on the third seed Storm of Simpson College on Tuesday, February 22nd. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 7:00 p.m.

A-R-C Tournament Schedule
# 1 Wartburg receives first round bye
# 2 Loras receives first round bye
# 3 Simpson vs. # 6 University of Dubuque
# 4 Coe vs. # 5 Luther