Loras Runs Past Pioneers

DUBUQUE, Iowa --  The Loras College women's basketball team utilized a variety of suffocating pressure defenses to force 23 turnovers from visiting University of Wisconsin-Platteville and cruise to a 89-43 decision in Day 2 of the Loras College Tip-Off Classic Saturday afternoon.  The Duhawks turned those Pioneer miscues into a 40-5 advantage in the "Points Off Turnovers" category on the way to going 2-0 over the weekend and improving to 3-0 overall.  The loss dropped Platteville, who defeated Bethel University at Loras on Friday, to 1-1.

The Pioneers kept things close early, leading 7-6 midway through the first quarter.  The good news pretty much ended there as Loras ratcheted up its 1-2-2 pressure defense forcing eight first quarter turnovers.  One of those turnovers led to a 13-2 run that gave the Duhawks a 19-9 lead.  They would not trail again the rest of the night.

The Pioneers kept Loras in range in the 2nd quarter, keeping its deficit in the single digits again until about the midpoint.  After switching to a half-court trapping defense, Loras forced Platteville into five more turnovers and turned them into a stretch of scoring on seven straight possessions to end the half with a 45-24 lead.

Platteville would get no closer in the second half.

Center Lara Anger (Jr./DeKalb, Ill.) led the Pioneers in scoring with a career-high 11.

Platteville will not have time to linger on the loss as they return to the court Wednesday, November 17th, when they travel to Ripon College to face the Red Hawks.  The non-conference match-up is scheduled for 7pm.