DUBUQUE, Iowa – University of Northwestern Women's Basketball traveled to University of Dubuque for a non-conference contest on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles led after three quarters, but the Spartans rallied late to defeat UNW, 59-53.
 
Dubuque took a 14-9 lead with just over four minutes remaining in the opening quarter. The Eagles would rally by scoring eight unanswered points to close out the first quarter, leading 17-14. UNW shot 36.8 percent from the floor in the first ten minutes.
 
The two teams played even in the second quarter, scoring 13 points each. The Eagles shot 31.3 percent in the quarter and made 3-of-8 three-point shots. Dubuque tied the game 27-27 with 1:35 remaining, but Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) broke the tie with a three-pointer to send the game to halftime with Northwestern leading 30-27.
 
In the third quarter, the Eagles matched their second-quarter stats with another 31.3 percent clip on 5-of-16 shooting. The Spartans, however, outscored the Eagles 13-12 in the quarter with a 41.6 shooting percentage. Nonetheless, UNW still led at halftime, up 42-40.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Spartans trailed 49-42 until going on a 13-0 run to take a 55-49 lead. Dubuque went on to win the game 59-53, shooting 54.6 percent from the field in the final ten minutes.
 
Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) led the Eagles with 22 points and had four rebounds. River Landers (Grand Meadow, Minn./Grand Meadow) followed with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and hauled in six rebounds. Jasmine Sondrol (Grand Forks, N.D./Red River) led UNW with seven rebounds in the game.
 
Up next, Northwestern will travel to Waverly, Iowa for a pair of road games at the Wartburg Holiday Tournament, first taking on the Wartburg Knights at 1:00 P.M. in Levick Arena on Thursday, December 29.