DECORAH, Iowa  – The Luther College women's basketball team is headed back to the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Tournament. The Norse found the best way to end the 2022-23 regular season, snapping their four-game losing skid while earning another trip to the conference tournament. Luther defeated the University of Dubuque in its final home game of the 2022-23 regular season, downing its opponent 54-52 in a game that featured more drama than an Oscar Best Picture nominee. With the win, the Norse finish the regular season with a 13-12 overall record and an 8-8 mark in A-R-C play. 

BY THE NUMBERS
Luther was cruising to open the game, as nearly everything went the home team's way in the first quarter. Fueled by a raucous and supportive crowd, the Norse offense took advantage of the Spartans zone defense, racing out to an 18-8 lead. On the defensive side, Luther was just as strong, as the Norse zone held Dubuque to a sub .300 shooting percentage in the opening 10 minutes of play.

With a 18-11 advantage after one, things got physical for both Luther and Dubuque in the second quarter. Kailey Jones (Avoca, Iowa / AHSW) and Lizzie Kauls (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) continued to expose the Spartans weakness under the basket, as the duo easily scored points from within the paint. However, the Norse struggled along the perimeter. Luther connected on just two threes in the first half of the ballgame, though the team's defense was equally as stingy. Dubuque was just 2-9 from three-point land in the first half, however, the Spartans threes came at crucial moments. With the Norse on a 1-5 skid, Dubuque made two threes midway through the second quarter, pulling within four of Luther's 25-21 lead. 

Three very important things happened at the end of the second quarter. On Luther's last offensive possession, Kate Hosking (Slinger, Wis. / Slinger) shot an awkward three from the corner, putting up the desperation shot with one second left on the shot clock. The ball went through the basket, giving the Norse a 28-21 advantage with 31 seconds left on the clock. Then, on defense, Luther forced the Spartans to commit a shot clock violation, preserving their 28-21 halftime lead. 

Things very quickly stopped going Luther's way to open the third quarter, as the Norse were outscored 11-4 by Dubuque to open the second half. With the game knotted 32-32, the Spartans took their first lead of the night on a free throw by Tabria Thomas and would hold a 38-36 advantage over Luther entering the fourth and final quarter. The Norse kept things close, using layups by Kauls and a three from Hosking to pull within two at 43-41. Jones then tied the game at 43-43 with her 25th point of the afternoon and it was off to the races. With six minutes remaining in regulation, the Norse traded baskets with Dubuque, until the Spartans led 52-49 with 2:00 left on the clock. 

Luther made up the deficit and then some, outsourcing Dubuque 6-0 down the stretch. Free throws by Hosking pulled the Norse within one before Kauls gave Luther a 53-52 lead with 36 seconds remaining in regulation. Megan Miller (Urbandale, Iowa / Des Moines Christian) extended the lead to 54-52, but the Norse still needed to come up with one last defensive stop. That is exactly what they did. Luther's stingy defense prevented Dubuque from even thinking about a shot beyond the arc, allowing the Norse to claim the game by final score of 54-52. 

TOP NORSE

• Kailey Jones (Avoca, Iowa / ASHTW) was unstoppable for Luther Saturday afternoon. The sophomore forward recorded her 10th double-double of the season, as she discord 27 points on 12-18 shooting to go along with a team-leading 17 rebounds. It marks the seventh time this season Jones has recorded 15+ rebounds in a game, 12 of which came on the defensive end of the court. 
• Kate Hosking (Slinger, Wis. / Slinger) added 11 points in the victory thanks to her 3-5 shooting from three-point range, while Lizzie Kauls (North Oaks, Minn. / Mounds View) recorded a double-double in her final game in the Regents Center. The senior scored 10 points and added 13 rebounds in what could be the final home game of her Luther career. 

UP NEXT
As the No. 5 seed, Luther will head to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for its first game of the A-R-C Tournament. The Norse will face No. 4 Coe in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday, February 21. More information regarding Luther's first round playoff game will be available in the upcoming days.