WAVERLY, Iowa - The fourth ranked Wartburg women's basketball team will begin a three-game home stand when it faces off against Central College on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 5:30 p.m. inside Levick Arena. The Knights have enjoyed a 16-game winning streak against the Dutch that dates back to 2013 and have come away victorious in 34 of the past 37 matchups.

Wednesday, Feb. 24 - 5:30 p.m. - Waverly, Iowa - Levick Arena
Wartburg Knights (11-1, 4-1 A-R-C) vs. Central College (4-1, 4-1 A-R-C) 

Series Record: Wartburg leads 61-24
Last Five Meetings: 
Feb. 1, 2020 -- W, 90-62 (Waverly)
Dec. 4, 2019 -- W, 103-69 (Pella) 
Jan. 26, 2019 -- W, 73-33 (Waverly)
Jan. 5, 2019 -- W, 55-43 (Pella)
Feb. 17, 2018 -- W, 73-52 (Pella)

Attendance Policy
Two people per each participant (student-athlete/coach/staff member) will be permitted to attend basketball, volleyball, and wrestling home events inside Levick Arena. Seating for spectators will take place in the west bleachers across from the team benches. 
 
SPECTATORS WILL BE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW CAMPUS MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES. LEARN MORE HERE.

Season Notes
The fourth ranked Knights jumped two spots in the latest d3hoops.com national poll. Wartburg currently sits in a two-way tie for second place in the A-R-C with Central while No. 14 Simpson College is alone in first place. The Orange & Black are on a four-game winning streak and are a perfect 7-0 inside Levick Arena and 4-1 on the road. 

Wartburg is the second ranked offense in the conference as they average 78.1 points per game and have a conference-best 29.2 scoring margin. The Knights are shooting 43% from the floor, 30.9% from long range and 69% from the charity stripe. They are also out rebounding their opponents by 12.8 boards and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.2. 

The defense for the Orange & Black is the best in the A-R-C, allowing just 48.8 points per contest. Opponents are shooting 32.9% from the field, 26% from beyond the arc and 67.4% from the free-throw line. 

Senior forward Payton Draper leads the program in scoring and rebounding with 13.3 points and 6.1 boards per game. Freshman forward Jaedon Murphy is also averaging double figures in scoring with 11. Fellow freshman Britney Young has posted a team-high three assists per contest while senior guard Ally Conrad is close behind with 2.8. Conrad also leads the team on the defensive side of the court with 2.3 steals and senior forward Bailey Naig ranks tied for fifth in the conference in blocks with .9 per game. 

Last Time Out
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 Draper led all scorers with 13 points to go along with her four rebounds and three steals. 

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 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 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.

Central College
The Dutch come into the contest with a record of 4-1 and are perfect on the road with a 2-0 ledger. Central's only loss of the season is against No. 14 Simpson back on Feb. 3. 

The Dutch are averaging 77.4 points per contest, which ranks third in the conference and have a scoring margin of 11.4. They are shooting 45.6% from the field, 35.7% from 3-point land and 65.2% from the foul line. Central is being out rebounded by its opponents by .4 boards per game and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.0. 

Sophomore guard Kelsea Hurley has tallied a team-best 16.6 points per contest, which ranks fourth in the A-R-C. Fellow sophomore guard Carson Fisk is also averaging double figures in scoring with 15.2, which is good for sixth in the conference. Hurley, Payton Rogers and Maci Gambell all have totaled a team-high 4.6 rebounds. The do-it-all guard Hurley also leads the program in assists with 4.2 and ranks third in the A-R-C. 

Defensively, Emily Hay and Sami Craig are both averaging a team-best three steals while Craig stands alone in blocks with 1.2 per game. Opponents are scoring 66 points against the Dutch and are shooting 38.2% from the field, 27.7% from long range and 69.3% from the free-throw line.