DECORAH, Iowa  – When things are going well, they go very well for the Luther College women's basketball team. The Norse won their third consecutive game in the Regents Center Saturday afternoon in dominant fashion, as they laid waste to Nebraska Wesleyan 81-49. The win was the most dominant of the season for Luther, which improves to 11-7 overall and 6-2 in American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) play.

ALL AROUND DOMINANCE
The Norse offense was back and better than ever Saturday afternoon, as the home team scored 26 points in the first quarter alone while holding the Prairie Wolves to just six points in the opening 10 minutes. It marks the first time all season Luther held an opponent to single digit points in the first quarter, and did so by forcing four Nebraska Wesleyan turnovers and holding the Prairie Wolves to a .143 shooting percentage in the first quarter. Jordan Rubie (Winona, Minn. / Cotter) in particular was a force to be reckoned with in the opening 10 minutes of play, as she scored 11 points on 3-3 of shooting, scoring all but two of her points from three-point land. 

The good times continued to roll for the Norse in the second quarter, and Luther continued to pelt Nebraska Wesleyan with baskets and points. By halftime, Luther held a convincing 50-21 lead, fueled by Rubie's impressive 13 first half points. In total, eight Norse scored at least a basket in the first half, with four different student-athletes scoring at least six points. 

Luther once again held Nebraska Wesleyan to single digits in the third quarter, allowing the visitors to score just nine points in 10 minutes of play. The Norse offense, though, sputtered slightly, as they scored just 12 points in the third quarter to extend their lead to 62-30. Luther course corrected in the fourth, outscoring the Prairie Wolves 19-12 en route to an 81-42 victory.

TOP NORSE 

• Jordan Rubie (Winona, Minn. / Cotter) was perfect from the floor in the first half, helping her lead the way with 13 points for the Norse Saturday afternoon. She closed the day shooting 4-6 from the floor and 3-5 from three point range.
• Layken McGuire (Danvers, Ill. / Lexington) was perfect from the floor Saturday afternoon, scoring eight points in 3-3 shooting, including a 2-2 mark from beyond the arc. 
• Kailey Jones (Avoca, Iowa / AHSTW) led the team in rebounds for the fourth consecutive game, tallying nine total against Nebraska Wesleyan. Megan Miller (urbandale, Iowa / Des Moines Christian) and Emilee Burcham-Scofield (Colfax, Wis. / Colfax) each tallied four assists. 

OF NOTE
The Norse held the Prairie Wolves to six points in the opening quarter. This marks the second lowest point total for an opponent this season, as Luther held Carleton to just five second quarter points when the two teams met on November 12. Additionally, the Norse have held opponents to single-digit points in 13 quarters this season and did so in four consecutive games to open 2022-23. 

UP NEXT
The Norse next two contests will be at home, including the January 25 tilt against Coe College. Tip off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in Decorah, Iowa.