DUBUQUE, IOWA—Loras College was the Carthage College women's basketball team's first opponent of the 2016-17 season on Tuesday evening. The opportunity to compete against someone other than teammates was of appeal to both squads after a long month of practices.
 
The Duhawks, who are coming off a 19-9, 10-4 IIAC season, return three of their top four scorers from 2015-16. Gone is last season's leading scorer Kaitlin Phillips, who drained 13.2 points per game en route to being named 2015-16 All-Iowa Intercollegiate Conference Association First Team. The Lady Reds also have experience to lean on as they return four of five starters from last season in Morgan Harris, Bailey Gilbert, Morgan Vukovich and Rachel Szydlowski.
 
Carthage buried themselves out of an early hole and eventually jumped to a 58-50 lead, but couldn't fend off the Duhawks in an 81-77 loss. Harris tallied a career-high 38 points, which also ranks second on the Carthage all-time single-game scoring list. This only trails Cindy Czubakowksi's 40 points vs. UW-Whitewater on December 10, 1983.
 
The Lady Reds fall to 0-1, 0-0 CCIW on the season while the Duhawks improve to 1-0, 0-0 IIAC.
 
Duhawks 81, Lady Reds 77
 
Loras utilized their home floor from the get-go with a 6-0 lead at the 8:08 mark of the first quarter thanks to a pair of jumpers from Cyerra Hutchins. The Lady Reds drained their first points of the season when Gilbert took the ball to the left wing and dished a pass to Vukovich in the paint, who registered a layup to make the score 6-2 with 7:42 left in the first quarter.
 
A pair of Erin Weaver free throws at the 5:37 mark of the first quarter gave the Duhawks a 12-4 lead. The eight-point deficit was the ignition Carthage needed as Gilbert and Harris each responded with a three-pointer to help them close Loras's lead to 17-15 with :30 left in the first quarter. The Lady Reds found themselves trailing 19-15 after the first frame.
 
The Duhawks tallied their largest lead of the game at 26-17 with 8:28 left in the second quarter before the Lady Reds stormed back with an 18-9 run. Three-pointers from Harris, Gilbert and Madie Kaelber helped Carthage tie Loras 35-35 with 2:11 left in the second quarter.  
 
Harris notched her fourth three-pointer of the game to give Carthage their first lead at 38-37 before going into halftime tied 38-38. The Lady Reds wouldn't gain another lead until Gilbert's triple at the 4:28 mark of the third quarter made the score 52-50. That lead grew as wide as 58-50 with 1:40 left in the third quarter before closing the frame with a 59-52 advantage.
 
Loras and Carthage traded leads three times in the fourth quarter before one team held on. Lauren Stanich registered a layup to give Loras the lead for good at 68-66 with 4:34 left in the game.   
 
Harris shot 6-of-10 from beyond the arch while going 10-for-21 from the field. Gilbert added 14 points to round out the Lady Reds in double-figures.
 
Carthage will return to action at the Wisconsin Lutheran Paul F. Knueppel Classic on Friday, November 18 against Bethel University at 5:00 p.m.