Simpson surprises Dubuque in double OT

DUBUQUE, Iowa – The odds were clearly stacked against the Simpson men's basketball team.

Simpson limped into the Iowa Conference Tournament with the No. 6 seed after losing the last two games of the regular season. It had to play at Dubuque, a team which beat Simpson handily in both regular season meetings. And it was playing without the services of starting center Cornelius Mosby.

But anything is possible at tournament time.

Zack Barragan scored 28 points and Elijah Knox made clutch plays down the stretch as Simpson knocked off third-seeded Dubuque 95-87 in double overtime in the first round of the Iowa Conference Tournament on Tuesday night.

Barragan – who played every second of the 50 minute contest – went 11-for-17 from the field and grabbed 10 rebounds for his first career double-double. Knox scored 21 of his career-high 23 points in the second half and overtime for the Storm (12-13), who advance to the IIAC Tournament Semifinals to face second-seeded Buena Vista in Storm Lake on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Playing without starters Chad Boston and AJ Arrington, who fouled out early in the first overtime, Knox stepped up in the final frame.

He assisted on Simpson's first three points of the second overtime and knocked down back-to-back jumpers from the top of the key as Simpson built an 89-83 lead with 3:14 left.

But his biggest contribution came on the defensive end of the floor.

After a pair of Dubuque free throws and a layup by Mitch Michaelis, Lucas Ware had a chance to tie the game when he picked up a loose ball at half court and was heading to the hoop uncontested. But Marcus Barnett and Knox never gave up on the play, as Barnett stripped the ball from an unsuspecting Ware and Knox secured the steal, forcing Dubuque into a fouling situation.

Ryan Olson – appearing in his first varsity game of the season – knocked down two clutch free throws before Knox blocked a Dubuque three-point attempt with 49 seconds left. Barragan went on to hit 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch to seal the improbable win.

Chris Frazier finished with 21 points and Jordan Townsend 19 for the Spartans (17-9), who saw their season come to a close.

Simpson shot 56.3 percent from the field while holding Dubuque to 35.8. Despite the absence of the conference's leading rebounder (Mosby) – who did not play due to conduct detrimental to the team – the Storm held a 48-40 edge on the boards.

The two teams endured 15 lead changes and 19 ties throughout the game, the first double overtime contest in IIAC Tournament history.

Simpson had the ball last in regulation, but Boston couldn't get a clean look at the hoop as time expired. Down 82-81 with five second left in the first overtime, Knox hit 1 of 2 free throws to tie it before Miles Hookstead's layup rolled off the iron as the buzzer sounded.