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| Sami Martin was the D3hoops.com regional Rookie of the Year in 2021 and a third-team All-Region 9 pick last year. Loras athletics photo |
By Joe Sager
D3sports.com
Heading into the season, the Loras women’s basketball team expected to be known for its scoring.
Now in the postseason, offense remains a strength for the Duhawks, but it’s their defense that is leading the way.
The squad translated its strong all-around play into an American Rivers Conference tournament championship and a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
“I think our team is in a really good spot right now,” Loras senior point guard Cierra Bachmann said. “We’re executing the details well. Our defensive presence has really improved. I am hoping we can keep that energy up. We’re playing together as a team and playing well.”
The Duhawks (23-2) have won 10 games in a row, and it’s no coincidence that no opponent has scored more than 61 points on them during that stretch. For the season, they allow 53.3 points per game. During their winning streak, they’ve allowed 50.9.
“I think we put a lot of focus on defense in practices and drills. We want to make sure our defense can support us through a game if our shots aren’t falling or we’re struggling to score. It’s definitely something that’s been big for us.”
Loras hasn’t had trouble putting the ball in the hoop, though. The team averages 72.3 points per game and features multiple contributions from junior forward Sami Martin, who leads the team at 15.6 points per game, as well as senior guard Madison Fleckenstein (11.3) and Bachmann (11.6). Sophomore guard Silvana Scarsella is right behind at 7.4.
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| Cierra Bachmann is one of three Duhawks averaging double figures in scoring and one of three with more than 40 steals. Loras athletics photo |
“We have great balance,” Bachmann said. “We can give Sami the ball in the post and she can go to work down there or kick it out to our guards, who have been shooting well. I think we have a really good balance there, which makes our offense pretty solid.”
The team has averaged 77.2 points per game during its 10-game winning streak.
“I think we have equal balance. Any night, it can be any person on our team leading the way, which is a great aspect,” Martin said. “It’s nice to be peaking at this time of year.”
Though the Duhawks’ overall offensive output is slightly below last season (75.4), the team is allowing 11 fewer points each outing.
“Defense is our calling card, no doubt, but it wasn’t, coming into the year. We were an offensive machine a year ago and we lost one senior, so we expected to be an offensive machine again,” Loras coach Justin Heinzen said. “Our defensive identity is our bread and butter right now and it has been for a while. We’re just a little different offensively and it took us a while to figure it out. But, it’s nice to be able to rely on defense, for sure.
“We’ve come a long way and it shows,” he continued. “We have hit a good stride. Our practices the last month have probably been our best overall. It’s been a good sign.”
A stingier defense has given the team a jolt.
“It’s easy to get excited about offense, but it’s much easier to get excited about defense,” Heinzen said. “We’ve turned some teams over pretty well and derived a lot of energy from that. We’ve just been more consistent.”
The enhanced defense helped Loras capture its first conference tournament since 2016.
“I’d say our team has improved both on and off the court. Practices have been lively and competitive,” Martin said. “These girls are my best friends and we’re playing for each other and not individually. Winning the conference is a special thing. But, I still think we have a ways to go.”
The No. 15 Duhawks earned the chance to host a four-team pod to open NCAA Tournament action. It’s a goal they thought they could achieve.
“We were pretty upfront about it all once February hit and with where we were. There is so much data out there now and, with the analytics end of it, we thought we had a really good month of December that put us in a good spot,” Heinzen said. “As long as we held serve, I thought we had a chance to do it. We told the team everything along the way and sort of put our team in pressure spots where we knew we had to win if we wanted a chance to host. We’ve had a great run on our home floor. Hopefully, that continues this weekend.”
It's the program’s first time hosting NCAA Tournament play.
“It’s incredible. We’re all excited,” Bachmann said. “We weren’t sure if it was going to happen. We needed everything to line up and everything worked out. Everyone was extremely excited when heard that announcement.”
Loras meets Knox (22-5) on Friday at the Lillis Athletic & Wellness Center.
“There’s some pressure with playing at home,” Martin said. “But, having our home crowd and home fans will definitely be an advantage to us.”