The Muskies and Duhawks are meeting for the first time in women's basketball, though the schools' men's basketball teams have met nine times before, including each of the last two years. Loras is a member of the American Rivers Conference, for many years known as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Lakeland last played an A-R-C team just last week, falling to Dubuque in overtime. The Muskies are 2-6 all-time against current members of the conference, with wins coming against Dubuque in 2001 and most recently against Buena Vista (Iowa) by a 65-63 score Nov. 26, 2005 at a tournament hosted by the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse.

Lakeland last time out: Lost to Dubuque (Iowa) 77-75 (OT) Nov. 12
The Muskies have been idle for nine days since last playing host to the Spartans and falling in overtime at home. Lakeland led for the vast majority of the game and held a four-point lead with just over a minute left in regulation, but Dubuque's Lilly Craig hit a tying three-pointer with 11 seconds left. The Muskies also were ahead by four with just over two minutes left in overtime, but Craig scored the go-ahead layup with just over a minute left. Alexis Johnson scored a career-high 24 points for the second straight game and Lauryn Johnson added career highs of 14 points and 13 rebounds for her first career double-double. The Muskies scored all 75 of their points in the paint or at the free throw line, going 0-for-9 from three-point range, their first oh-fer from long distance since also going without a make in nine attempts against UW-Oshkosh in the 2021-22 season opener.

Loras last time out: Lost to #15 UW-La Crosse 73-42 Wednesday
The Duhawks hosted the No. 15-ranked team in NCAA Division III but shot a frigid 27.6% in falling to a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team for the second time in three games this year. Loras stayed in contact with the Eagles most of the way, trailing by 12 in the final minute of the third quarter before UW-L finished the game on a 28-10 run. Claire Wagner led the Duhawks with 10 points and nine rebounds and Lexi Beier and Ashtyn Kelderman added seven points each.

About the Duhawks: Loras comes from Dubuque, Iowa, and enters with a 1-2 record, having also lost to UW-Platteville 59-57 in its season opener and defeating Greenville (Ill.) 69-51 last week. The Duhawks finished 9-16 overall last year and 6-10 in the American Rivers Conference. Loras alum Justin Busch is in his third year as head coach after serving as an assistant coach for three years with the school's men's basketball program. The Duhawks nickname dates back to 1924, when a sportswriter for a Detroit newspaper, in preparations for the school's upcoming game against the University of Detroit, referred to Loras (then known as Columbia College) as the Dubuque Hawks, and later the Duhawks. The name stuck ever since.