DUBUQUE, Iowa - The sixth ranked Wartburg women's basketball team took home its 14th-straight victory over the University of Dubuque when it defeated the Spartans 70-53 on Wednesday, Feb. 17 inside the Stoltz Sports Center. Senior forward Payton Draper led all scorers with 13 points to go along with her four rebounds and three steals. 

The Knights (11-1, 4-1 A-R-C) will return home on Wednesday, Feb. 24 for another American Rivers Conference contest when they host Central College (3-1, 3-1 A-R-C) at 5:30 p.m. inside Levick Arena. 

It was a back-and-forth start to the contest before the Orange & Black ripped off an 8-3 run midway through the first to gain a five-point advantage. The Knights were hot from beyond the arc in the opening frame, knocking in four of their eight 3-pointers. 

Wartburg held an eight-point lead heading into the second but the Spartans cut that advantage down to four in the first couple of minutes. However, the Knights went on a 9-0 run to push their lead to double digits and Dubuque was unable to cut into the deficit for the remainder of the game. Wartburg finished the second shooting 58.8% from the floor and entered halftime with a comfortable 15-point advantage. 

The Knights cooled off slightly in the third period as they knocked in eight of their 17 attempts. However, the defense for Wartburg shined when they allowed only three made field goals and held Dubuque to just nine points. The Orange & Black struggled offensively in the final frame but the victory was never in doubt and they rolled to a 17-point win. 

The Waverly native Draper reached double figures in scoring for the fifth time in the past six contests with a game-high 13 points. Senior guard Ally Conrad also recorded double figures with 11 points to go along with her career-high five steals. Fellow senior Kaitlyn Volesky ripped down a game-high eight rebounds, which tied her season best. Freshman forward Jaedon Murphy matched her career-high for blocked shots with three. 

Wartburg finished the game 45.2% from the field, 39.3% from long range and 50% from the foul line. The Knights have scored 70 or more points in the past four games and have surpassed that plateau in all but three contests this season.