Amsbaugh's career day spoiled by Clark, Buena Vista

STORM LAKE, Iowa – Another career game by Sam Amsbaugh wasn't enough to slow down Nick Clark and defending conference champion Buena Vista as the Simpson men's basketball team lost 89-77 in Wednesday's Iowa Conference opener.

Clark scored 25 of his game-high 32 points in the first half, hitting eight 3-pointers on the night as the Beavers (6-6, 1-0) shot nearly 58 percent from the field. Forward Kennedy Drey had 22 points and eight rebounds, making the duo a combined 20-for-32 from the field.

Amsbaugh came off the bench for the fifth straight game, scoring 19 of his career-high 27 points in the second half to lead the Storm (7-5, 0-1). He went 11-for-18 from the field and 4-for-5 from 3-point range.

Simpson trailed by four midway through the first half when Clark got hot, hitting five straight shots – including four 3s – as part of a 20-7 Buena Vista run. His two free throws with 3:12 left in the half extended the lead to 46-29 and Simpson trailed by double digits the rest of the way.

Amsbaugh showed a strong inside-outside game in the second half, going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and 6-for-11 from inside. The sophomore set his second career-high in the last three games, and is averaging 22 points and shooting 55 percent from the field during the stretch.

Austin Turner had 15 points and Dillon Gretzky finished with 10 for the Storm.

Up next: Simpson goes to Coe on Saturday, Jan. 9. The Kohawks (5-7, 0-1) lost to Loras 75-68 on Tuesday.