DUHAWKS ADVANCE!!!

LORAS 53 COE 51
Duhawks hold second straight opponent in the fifties
Tuesday, February 24

The Loras College women’s basketball team won its regional IIAC Tournament game on Tuesday night in the Athletic and Wellness Center over the Coe College Kohawks…a game that was essentially even throughout the last 20 minutes of basketball.

Coe (11-27 in the first half) jumped out to an early 20-9 lead…as they do so well though, the Duhawks closed out the half on a quick 7-0 run to take a 1 point lead into the locker room. Coe had three different players make three pointers, while Loras was led by Sarah Pillon’s seven points on 3-of-4 shooting. Iowa Conference leading scorer Lindsay Bava was held to five points in the first half, but Loras (11-29 shooting in the half) gained the lead on two free throws by Mindy Meyer with under a minute to go in the first half. Meyer would also score the final points of the second half in much more dramatic fashion.

It was back-and-forth over the final 20 minutes as the teams traded baskets and no team held a lead larger than three points. Each team also suffered from long dry spells. From 17:58 left in the game until 12:24 left, Coe was held without a point. Loras made just one basket in a stretch of over eight minutes. The final nine minutes heated up, as the teams traded the lead and battled for the late control of the game.

Lindsay Bava put the Duhawks up 51-50 with a layup with under four minutes remaining. Another dry spell plagued both teams for two and a half minutes until Coe’s Sarah Anciaux tied the game at 51-51 with free throw. Only one more basket would be made, and it was Meyer’s two points that were the difference.

A well-executed quick hitter put Meyer on the right block, where she powered her way into position and drew a foul, made her shot, but missed her three point play attempt at the free throw line. After a timtout, the Kohawks had two late chances to make a tying basket, but fell short in each attempt.

With the win, Loras advances to the semifinals and will play in Waverly, Iowa against Wartburg on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM.

Loras had two players in double figures – Lindsay Bava (14) and Mindy Meyer (12). Meyer added seven rebounds. Loras also benefited from the second consecutive impressive all-around performance by point guard Lisa Morrissey. The junior scored 9 points, dished 6 assists, had 7 rebounds, and added 3 steals. As a team, the Duhawks committed only 8 turnovers in the game.

Audio and Video feeds available for the Wartburg Semifinal game on the upper right as always!

What a crazy time of year!!! GO DUHAWKS!

-Coach J

Duhawks Earn "Dubuque’s Best" Bragging Rights

LORAS 62 DUBUQUE 59
Loras to host first round of IIAC Conference Tournament
Saturday, February 21

Sorry for the layoff here as of late…its been a crazy month of February…nonetheless, here’s the latest!
After nearly upending IIAC conference champion on Wednesday…a game which I think we were the better team for 36:00 minutes, the Duhawks traveled the four blocks down Loras Blvd to finish up the regular season schedule this past weekend.
The Dubuque matchup was one of perfect timing heading into tournament play. With the energy that the games between us demand from our players, and the importance of every single possession, I think the mentality to compete every trip down the floor is more magnified.
Trailing by 9 points with four minutes left in the first half, the Duhawk shooters found a rhythm and connected on five 3 pointers (capped by Sarah Pillon’s 9 point barrage in the last 1:27) to give Loras a one point lead heading into the half (31-30). Loras led for all but the first three minutes of the second half and answered a late Spartan run with a steal in the waning seconds to secure the victory. The win secured a #3 seed in the IIAC Conference Tournament where Loras will play host to Coe in the first round on Tuesday. The Duhawks swept the extremely closely contested season series against the Kohawks and believe we can roll off three straight victories and book the Duhawks our ticket to the “Big Dance.”
Loras junior point guard Lisa Morrissey was everywhere with nine points, seven steals, six rebounds and six assists while Pillon added 11 points and Alex Hudson took home the game ball with her rebounding and defensive efforts. Erika Derks provided a spark of the bench to tally 8 points on 3-4 shooting. I was happy to see our aggressiveness on the glass, especially offensively, an area of focus for us going into the game. I thought in our first contest with Dubuque (a 69-62 win), our lack of rebounding allowed the game to remain close.

Gametime on Tuesday set for 6PM at the AWC.
GO DUHAWKS!!!!
-Coach J

Duhawks Back on Track

LORAS 88 BUENA VISTA 79
Bava becomes 8th member to join 1,000 point club
Saturday, February 14

The Loras College women’s basketball team scored a big win on Saturday against the Buena Vista University Beavers, 88-79. Included in the 88-point output was a 32-point effort by junior Lindsay Bava, whose effort catapulted her into the record books. Bava became the eighth member of the 1,000 Points Club with a backdoor layup in the second half. She is the second straight member of the team to join the club as a junior, following Natalie Pucci into the group.

The teams both shot the lights out in the first half, combining for 52% shooting, 13 three pointers, and 91 points. Loras held a 50-41 lead at the break after climbing back from a six point deficit. The Beavers started 7-of-7 from the floor and 10 of their first 12. In all of those points, the Iowa Conference’s leading scorer Margo Muhlbauer was held to five points and finished the game with 14. The Beavers controlled the boards in the first half, outrebounding Loras 20-13 and pulling down 10 on the offensive glass.

Three other starters reached double figures. Sarah Pillon added 21, Lisa Morrissey 11 (and nine assists), and Alex Hudson 10. Loras made 16-of-20 free throws in the second half to help seal the victory, which puts them back into second place in the standings.

In addition to the milestone reached by Bava and the team climbing the standings, the Duhawks also participated in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association’s Pink Zone efforts. Schools across the country at all levels are participating in campus and community wide efforts to raise funds for the Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer fund. Fans at the AWC entered into raffles, participated in contests, and had a chance to catch a pink mini basketball over the course of the game. All proceeds from Saturday’s efforts (and next Wednesday’s home game with Simpson) will be donated to the fund setup in the name of the late Kay Yow of North Carolina State University. Tipoff with the Storm is 6:00 PM on Wednesday night, the final regular season home game of 2008-09!

-GO Duhawks!!!

Bava Nets Academic All-District Honors

Loras College junior Lindsay Bava was recently voted to the ESPN the Magazine District VII Academic All-District Team. She earned second team honors. The award crosses all teams from within NCAA Division II, III, and NAIA perimeters.

Bava, an Elementary Education major, is one of only two Iowa Conference student-athletes named to the squad and hold a 3.81 grade point average.

“Our team has made strides in overall G.P.A., and this helps us reinforce what we’re stressing to our girls,” head coach Justin Heinzen said. “We are working to be a top ten team in the country academically.”

“Lindsay is definitely a leader for us on the floor, as well as in the classroom.”

Loras’ next contest is at Cornell on Wednesday night. The Duhawks tipoff at 6:00 PM.

Duhawks Lock Down When It Counts

LORAS 63 COE 61
Loras Holds Coe to 4 FG in the final 18 minutes
Saturday, January 31

A pivotal mid-season IIAC tilt lived up to expectations on Saturday as Loras hosted Coe on Alumni Day at the Athletics and Wellness Center. The first half was one of runs as the Duhawks jumped out to an early 21-13 lead. Coe responded with a 14-1 run of their own that centered around the near perfect play of senior Callie Sobaski (19 first half points) and entered the half up 38-33.
With a few halftime adjustments, Loras quickly reasserted its defensive rotations and outscored the Kohowks 18-6 over the first seven minutes of the second half. As time ticked down, the see-saw affair was as nip and tuck as a game could get with no team holding a lead larger than four points. A Lindsay Bava layup with just under 2 minutes to play put Loras up 2…Sobaski again provided an answer for Coe by knocking down two free throws with 15 seconds left. With the ball and 10 seconds to run what was diagrammed, Makeda Queen was fouled setting a screen…Duhawks in the bonus. So, with 3.7 left on the clock, Queen toed the line…the same Makeda that entered the game shooting free throws at a 48% clip.

Every basketball player goes through it…its the late game situation where you’re in the gym or your driveway–just you–down by 1, 5 seconds left….and the countdown under your breath begins! 5…..4…..3…..2…..1…..
We’ve cycled through that situation so many times; but why? Among the many reasons, perhaps the most common is because we want to be in the shoes of an idol. Yet, behind the visible, I think those situations slowly prepare us for that kind of pressure situation.

Makeda recently tweaked her free throw routine this past week…
and she hasn’t missed a free throw since. She hit the two biggest foul shots of her short college career and Coe’s last second shot as time expired missed the mark to preserve another home court victory for Loras.

Sarah Pillon shot in a game-high 23 points, including five 3-pointers for Loras. Lindsay Bava dropped 14 points and Mindy Meyer doubled with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Again for Loras, a key second half defensive effort led to a great team win.

Loras next heads to Central on Wednesday February 4th…tipoff set for 6PM.