WAVERLY, Iowa - The fourth ranked Wartburg women's basketball team will look to defend its American Rivers Conference title when it begins postseason play against Loras College on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. in the tournament quarterfinals inside Levick Arena. The Knights defeated the Duhawks 50-42 last week on Wednesday, March 3 and have won 12 of the past 13 games against Loras, including three straight. 

The Knights closed out the regular season by winning six of the past seven games and clinched the No. 3 seed in this year's A-R-C tournament. Loras secured the sixth seed with an overall record of 5-6 and a 3-5 ledger in conference play. 

Tuesday, March 9 - 7:00 p.m. - Waverly, Iowa - Levick Arena - A-R-C Tournament Quarterfinals
Wartburg Knights (13-2, 6-2 A-R-C) vs. Loras College (5-6, 3-5 A-R-C)

Series Record: Wartburg leads 57-26
Last Five Meetings: 
March 3, 2021 -- W, 50-42 (Waverly) 
Feb. 29, 2020 -- W, 67-54 (Waverly)
Feb. 19, 2020 -- W(OT), 79-76 (Dubuque) 
Jan. 11, 2020 -- L, 78-82 (Waverly)
Jan. 23, 2019 -- W, 68-49 (Waverly)

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 concluded the regular season with a record of 13-2 and 6-2 in the A-R-C, which was good for third place. The Orange & Black are 9-1 inside Levick Arena and 4-1 on the road. 

Wartburg possesses the second-ranked offense in the conference as they average 75.3 points per game and have a league best 24.8 scoring margin. The Knights are shooting 41.9% from the floor, 29.2% from long range and 69.6% from the charity stripe. They are also out rebounding their opponents by 12.1 boards and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.06, which ranks second in the A-R-C. 

The defense for the Orange & Black is the best in the conference, allowing just 50.5 points per contest. Opponents are shooting 32.3% from the field, 26.3% from beyond the arc and 71.6% from the free-throw line. 

Senior forward Payton Draper leads the program in scoring with 13.8 points while fellow senior forward Kaitlyn Volesky paces the team in rebounds with 6.3. Freshman Jaedon Murphy is averaging double figures in scoring with 11.4. Freshman Britney Young has posted a team-high 2.9 assists while senior guard Ally Conrad is close behind with 2.7 helpers per contest. Conrad also paces the team on the defensive side of the court with 2.3 steals and senior forward Bailey Naig ranks tied for sixth in the conference in blocks with .9 per game. 

Conference Tournament Notes

• Wartburg has won four consecutive conference tournament titles and no program has reached that plateau in A-R-C history since the inception of the league tournament in 2000. Outside of Wartburg's current streak, Simpson College won three straight from 2008-10. 
• Due to COVID-19 the A-R-C did not award a regular-season title and the winner of the tournament will be named the "A-R-C Women's Basketball Champion" 
• The Knights' last loss during the conference tournament came in 2016 with a 66-60 defeat against Coe College in the quarterfinals. 
• Wartburg has totaled six conference tournament titles. The only other team with more is Simpson with seven.
• This year's tournament will feature all nine teams for the first time in history as usually only six programs participate. 

Loras College
The Duhawks come into the contest with an overall record of 5-6 and a conference ledger of 3-5, which is good for the sixth seed in the tournament. Loras has won three A-R-C tournament titles with its most recent championship coming back in 2016. 

Loras is averaging 69.9 points per game, which ranks fourth in the conference and have a scoring margin of 1.7. They are shooting 38.7% from the field, 32.6% from 3-point land and 68% from the foul line. The Duhawks are being out rebounded by their opponents by two boards per game and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of .6. 

Freshman forward Sami Martin has tallied a team-best 14.7 points per contest, which ranks sixth in the A-R-C. Sophomore guard Cierra Bachmann and sophomore forward Madison Haslow are also averaging double figures in scoring with 13.4 and 10 points, respectively. The Platteville, Wis. native Martin paces Loras in rebounding with 6.6 and ranks eighth in the conference. Bachmann places tied for seventh in the A-R-C with three assists per game. 

Defensively, freshman Megan Murray has recorded a team-high 2.6 steals. Opponents are scoring an average of 68.2 points against the Duhawks and are shooting 46.4% from the field and 27.2% from long range.