The Buena Vista women's basketball team will open Iowa Conference play tonight on the road, as the team travels to Dubuque to take on defending IIAC champion, Loras College (6-5) in a 6:00pm tip-off inside of the Athletic and Wellness Center.

BVU looks to put a hault to its current three-game losing skid, including a tough 73-67 setback at Dordt College last Wednesday afternoon.  The team began the year a 5-3 and surpassed the 100-point mark in five of those contests.

The Duhawks, who caputred last year's regular season and tournament titles, were picked to finish second by the league coaches in 2014-15.  The team, which returns three starters and nine letterwinners from last year's group that went 19-9 overall (12-2 IIAC), enters conference play tonight following a tough 68-41 road loss to Wheaton College (Ill.).

Junior Lexi Fisher leads BVU in scoring this season at 13.2ppg.  She's also shooting a strong 35 percent from downtown and continues to move herself up the all-time career leaderboard.  Senior Shelby Widerhoeft is next at 11.4ppg, while sophomore Sidney Beckman is the final individual in double figures (10.8). 

Wiederhoeft has also been strong on the defensive end, hauling in a team-high 7.5 rebounds, while Lacey Vokt is next at 5.5.  As a group, BVU is alos forcing better than 22 turnovers per contest, while holding opponents to 37 percent shooting from the field.

Loras, who has three losses to ranked teams this season, has four players averaging better than 10.0ppg, led by Voctoria May's 12.7ppg.  She's shooting better than 60 percent from the field and has also gone 22-for-31 at the free-throw line.  Defensively, she sits second in rebounding on the squad (6.5rpg).  Lori Obendorff is the lone player averaging a double-double for the season, scoring 10.9ppg and hauling in 11.9rpg.  She matches May's 60.5 percent mark from the field and has also recorded 31 blocks through 11 games.

The Duhawks took both meetings a season ago and has won three straight overall. 

Live video and stats for the game are available at: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/bvu/