Wisconsin Dells, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's basketball team fell 74-69 to Luther College (Iowa) Saturday afternoon in the JustAgame Holiday Shootout at JustAgame Fieldhouse. The Eagles drop to 7-4 on the season while the Norse improve to 9-5.

This was the second meeting between the teams this season, UWL earned a 62-61 home win over Luther (Iowa) on November 25 in the Holiday Inn Express Thanksgiving Classic.

UWL led by as many as three points in the first quarter at 12-9 with 4:35 remaining after a Ava Kramer jumper. The Eagles led 21-19 at the end of the first quarter. UWL led 31-27 with 5:53 left in the first half when it used a 7-0 run to lead 38-27. Luther (Iowa) used a 9-2 run to end the half and cut the lead to 40-36.

The Eagles took their largest lead of the game after opening the third quarter with a 9-0 run to make it 49-36 with 7:36 remaining after an Elise DeNoyer layup. UWL led 55-43 with 4:42 left in the third quarter when Luther (Iowa) went on an 16-2 run to end the quarter and lead 59-57. A pair of DeNoyer free throws tied the game at 59-59 with 9:35 remaining in the fourth quarter before the Norse scored the next nine points to lead 68-59 with 4:36 left.

UWL responded with a 8-1 run to cut the lead to 69-67 with 2:02 remaining after a pair of Kramer layups. A Madison Spence layup and Maggie Anderson free throw gave Luther (Iowa) a 72-67 advantage with :30 left. DeNoyer made a pair of free throws with :09 remaining to cut it to 72-69, but Anderson made two free throws with :08 for the final margin. UWL missed its first seven shots from the field in the fourth quarter and were four-of-17 overall in the quarter.

UWL shot 42.4% from the field overall, including 22.2% (four-of-18) from three-point range, and 64.3% (nine-of-14) at the free throw line. DeNoyer led the Eagles with 16 points and four assists. Dani Craig and Kramer each finished with 13 points for UWL while Taylor Nelson totaled 11. Craig and Kylee Marks tied for the team lead with six rebounds.

Luther (Iowa) shot 46.3% from the field, including 31.6% (six-of-19) from three-point range, and 78.3% (18-of-23) at the line. Claire Marburger led the Norse with 13 points while Sarah Holtz finished with 11. Spence had 10 points and team-high eight rebounds.

UWL returns to action Wednesday, January 3 hosting UW-Eau Claire at 7 p.m in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) opener.