PAM RODGERS STAFF WRITER
The women’s basketball team went 1-1 for the third-straight week in Iowa Conference play topping the Cornell Rams 71-45 at home and losing a close one against at Luther 67-65.
The Knights were in control from the start over the Rams. Cornell came back and tied it at 14 with seven minutes to go in the first half and that was the closest the Rams ever got to the Knights.
A Samantha Harrington jumper broke the tie and put the Knights back in the lead for good. Wartburg had a commanding lead at the half going into the locker room ahead 34-21.
The Knights’ second half was stronger than the first as the offense lengthened the lead and the defense kept a tight hold on the Rams’ offense.
“This was a big win for us and we now control our own fate for conference tournament seeding. We have positioned ourselves well leading into the last week of the conference season,” head coach Bob Amsberry said.
Harrington was the leading scorer for Wartburg with 16 points. Close behind was teammate Leah Riley with 15, hitting a perfect five for five from beyond the arc.
“Samantha Harrington continues to be a major offensive threat and her ability to stretch the defense has been critical to our success,” Amsberry said. “Leah Riley really provided a spark off the bench for us by knocking down some perimeter shots and her play was really important in keeping Cornell’s defense honest.”
Stephanie Reiter helped out by recording 10 points. On the boards for the Knights was Sharese Van Sloten as she brought down 10 rebounds in the win.
Wartburg traveled to Decorah earlier in the week to take on the Norse. The Knights were on the board first after Leslie Wilson drained a jumper.
However, Luther was in control for the rest of the first half leading 36-25 when the buzzer sounded.
In the second half, the Norse remained in control, but the Knights did not back down and chipped away at the Norse’s lead.With 7:39 left in the game, Reiter hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 51.
The lead changed hands four times within the next few minutes. With 13 seconds to go, a Wartburg foul sent Jewell to the free throw line for the Norse with Wartburg ahead 65-64. She made both attempts to put Luther in front by one.
Wartburg failed to respond and another Luther free throw to get the final score of 67-65.
“The Luther loss was tough, especially after we battled back to take the lead late. We had done a good job throughout the season pulling off those close games, but we made some critical mistakes over the two-three minutes of the game,” Amsberry said. “We must use this game to be a better team in similar situations.”
Harrington was the Knights’ leading scorer in this game as well, recording 19 points including five 3-pointers. Reiter brought in 13 while Van Sloten and Wilson both added nine points apiece.
Van Sloten was the leader in rebounds with 11 boards and Katie Zittergruen added eight rebounds of her own.
The Knights’ conference record is now at 9-5 with an overall record of 14-9.
With the win, Wartburg is now in a tie for second place in the conference with Loras. They are also one game ahead of Buena Vista who is also in the IIAC tournament.
Wartburg will wrap up its conference schedule next week as they take on Coe College at home Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Levick Arena.
“Coe brings a great post presence next week and we need to be prepared for another physical game against a very quality opponent. It should be a good game of contrasting styles,” Amsberry said.
Photo: Sam Harrington sets up the offense during the 71-45 win over Cornell. Photo by Luke Shanno