Luther the No. 5 seed of the American Rivers Conference Tournament traveled to No. 4 University of Dubuque tonight for a first round match-up and defeated the Spartans 53-46. During the regular season the Spartans sweep the Norse 68-48 on Jan. 19, and 57-44 just four days ago in Dubuque.

Back-to-back treys by the Norse in the final three minutes of the second quarter led to a 24-20 halftime lead. The Norse never trailed in the second half.

Defensively, Luther held Dubuque to 27% that included an 0-for-10 performance from behind the three-point line. The Norse also dominated the boards outrebounding the Spartans 45-36.

Kailey Jones had another big night recording a double-double thanks to 20 points and 13 rebounds, both game highs. Grace Prokosch came off the bench and scored a season high 14.

The win gives Luther an overall record of 10-16. Dubuque ends its season with a record of 15-11.

Luther will now travel to regular season champions Simpson College on Thursday, Feb. 24. The Storm finished the regular season with a mark of 15-0 and are currently ranked No. 6 in the NCAA III. Tip-off will take place in Indianola at 7:00 p.m.