DUBUQUE, Iowa - The University of Dubuque women's basketball team opened up conference play on Wednesday night with a 63-51 win over the Loras College Duhawks in front of the Spartan faithful. 

The Spartans and Duhawks were back and forth for the first 20 minutes on Wednesday evening with the Spartans holding a 23-22 lead at the half. The Spartans made nine shots in the first half with four of them coming from beyond the arc. 

The offensive flow would come alive in the second half as the Spartans were able to shoot 53.57% from the floor. After Loras tied the game at 29-29 with 5:18 left in the third quarter, the Spartans went on a 15-0 run to end the third, leading 44-29 heading into the final 10 minutes. 

The Duhawks did not go away quietly, going on a 10-0 run in the first three minutes of the fourth to pull within five. Grace Brumley would end the Duhawks run with a three-point play, which would lead to the Spartans increasing their lead back to double digits before knocking down 5-6 at the line to seal the win. 

The Spartans have now won back-to-back games over the Duhawks and tonight was led by four Spartans in double figures. Christina Simonetti led the way with 13 points, while also grabbing a team-high seven rebounds. Avery Green finished with 12 points, Brumley added 11, and Taylor Martin ended her night with 10 points. Green dished out a team-high five assists, while Felicity Figlinski recorded four assists.

Head coach Madeline Jansen picks up her first career conference victory as well as her first win inside the Stoltz Sports Center. She is also the first head coach to defeat the Duhawks in the coaches' first ever meeting with the Duhawks since Kevin Giese did so in the 1998-1999 season. 

The Spartans snap their four game skid and improve to 3-4 on the season and now 1-0 in conference play.

Up Next
The Spartans will host (RV) UW-La Crosse on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. inside the Stoltz Sports Center.