DECORAH, Iowa  – It was the type of game that Luther College women's basketball team is used to playing. A tight, physical defensive battle occurred in the Regents Center Gymnasium Friday evening, with the Norse playing host to the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Unlike previous games, Luther was unable to come away with a victory in the tight battle, falling to UW-Stout by a final score of 60-57. The loss counts as the Norse's first of the 2022-23 season, as their record now stands at 3-1. 

LET'S GET PHYSICAL
It was a very physical game from the get go, as neither Luther nor the Blue Devils could generate much offense. Both teams shot under .400 from the floor in the opening 10 minutes of play, with the Norse holding UW-Stout to a .214 shooting percentage in the first quarter. The Blue Devils, though, still managed to hold a 14-13 lead over Luther after the first quarter and extended their lead to 40-26 at the half, as UW-Stout scored nearly half its second quarter points on Norse turnovers alone. 

Luther responded in a big way coming out of the locker room at halftime, as Kailey Jones (Avoca, Iowa / AHTSW) and Kate Hosking (Slinger, Wis. / Slinger) went on a nine point scoring run by themselves, whittling the Blue Devils lead to 42-34 and forcing UW-Stout to take an early timeout. The Norse defense also drew charge fouls on UW-Stout's first three offensive possessions, helping their offense pull within eight and eventually five on a layup-and-one by Hosking. However, the Blue Devils outscored Luther 7-2 in the closing minutes of the third, allowing the visitors to regain a 10 point lead at 51-41 entering the fourth and final quarter. 

The Norse never say die and continued to battle well into the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. With exactly five minutes remaining in the fourth, Grace Prokosh (Oakdale, Minn. / Hill-Murray) pulled up for a huge three from deep downtown, cutting the UW-Stout lead back to single digits at 54-46. Emilee Burcham-Scofield (Menominie, Wis. / Colfax) then got the crowd back into it, forcing a Blue Devil turnover and turning it into a layup to bring the Norse within six at 54-48.  Though UW-Stout responded with a three, the momentum was clearly in Luther's court. Down 59-51 with 1:43 remaining in the clock, Lizzie Kauls (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) cut the lead to 59-53 with a layup before Hosking cut the deficit to five points at 59-55 with her 14th point of the game. With under one minute remaining in regulation, the Norse were forced to foul and watched as the Blue Devils threw brick after brick from the charity stripe. This allowed Kauls to pull her team within three at 60-57 with 12 seconds remaining on the clock. 

Two missed rebounds and a Jordan Rubie (Winona, Minn. / Cotter) rebound later, the Norse had the ball on their bench side with four seconds remaining on the clock. Twice, head coach Amanda Bailey called time, drawing up an offensive play to try and tie the game or draw a foul. Twice, UW-Stout fouled before the ball was inbounded, delaying Luther's chance to tie the game several times. When Rubie finally did manage to inbound the ball, she found Megan Miller (Urbandale, Iowa / Des Moines Christian) on the elbow. The sophomore drew contact from her defender and heaved up a last second shot, looking for an and-one opportunity. Her shot fell off the rim short, allowing the Blue Devils to leave Decorah with a 60-57 victory.  

TOP NORSE

• Kate Hosking (Slinger, Wis. / Slinger) led the Norse in points, tallying a season-high 14 points in 37 minutes played. Hosking shot 6-13 from the floor and added five rebounds, four assists and a steal to her final stat line. 
• Lizzie Kauls (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) added 12 points and nine rebounds for Luther, while Kailey Jones (Avoca, Iowa / AHSTW) tallied a team-leading 11 rebounds. 

UP NEXT
Luther will return to action on Sunday, as the Norse travel to Mount Vernon, Iowa for a late afternoon tip off with Cornell College. The game is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.