Spartans Upset in IIAC Tourney
Feb 25, 2014 | J.Crane
DUBUQUE, IOWA - The University of Dubuque Women's Basketball team was upset in the First Round of the Iowa Conference Tournament. The Spartans 63-59 loss to Buena Vista on Tuesday night proved the old saying that the hardest thing in sports to do is beat a team three times in a season. Jenna Kotas (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew) recorded a double-double, scoring 19 points and pulling down 10 rebounds (one-offensive/nine-defensive). UD finishes the year with a 17-9 overall record.
The Spartans started quick with an early 9-4 lead in the first five minutes to force a Buena Vista timeout. Kotas started the UD scoring with an offensive rebound and layup on the first posession of the game. Senior Heather Chapman (Ingleside, Ill./Grant) closed the run with a jumper in the lane. A 6-0 run by BV led to a back-and-forth remained of the half with five lead changes and four ties. UD held its largest lead of the game with 5:53 left in the first half when a layup by Daneshia Snitker (Waukon, Iowa/Waukon) gave the Spartans a 26-19 advantage. BV led a half 32-30.
Reigning Iowa Conference Female Athlete of the Week Kotas led UD in scoring for the 14th straight game and her fifth consecutive game over 15 points with 19 points. Kayla Springer (Altoona, Wis./Altoona) had seven points, eight rebounds (two-offensive/six-defensive), and four assists in 31 minutes of action.
Senior Stephany Remakel (Dubuque, Iowa/Hempstead) blocked four shots in the game, giving her 53 for the year. She became just the second UD Women's Basketball player to have two seasons with 50 or more blocks. Fellow senior Jennifer Fischer (Deerfield, Wis./Deerfield) had a team high four steals off the bench.
Despite the loss, the Spartans set numerous school records in the game. UD finished the season with 1,990 points surpassing the 1,950 mark set last season. The Spartans 76.5 points per game was nearly six points per game better than the previous record of 70.7 ppg from 2002-03. Dubuque also set school records in field goal attempts (1,793) and free throw attempts (623) while also tying the record for field goals made (719). Individually, freshman Daneshia Snitker broke the school record by shooting 64.2% (70-109) from the field.
Buena Vista will travle to Coe College on Thursday, February 27th in the Semifinals of the IIAC Tournament.
