Posted: Jan 26, 2016

Storm men take first-place club to Pella

The upstart Simpson men's basketball team goes to Central on Wednesday, Jan. 27 owning a share of first place in the Iowa Conference. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. from Kuyper Gymnasium in Pella, Iowa.

Game Setup
Matchup: Simpson (11-6, 4-2) at Central (12-5, 3-3)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 27
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Kuyper Gymnasium

Coverage
Video: Central.edu/athletics

Last Time Out
Sam Amsbaugh came off the bench to score 16 points, Dillon Gretzky and Ryan Skaar had 15 apiece and the Simpson men's basketball team beat Luther 76-59 on Saturday. Gretzky added 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, as he and Skaar combined to make eight of the team's 13 3-pointers. Skaar went 5-for-10 from downtown for the Storm (11-6, 4-2 Iowa Conference), who won for the fourth time in five tries.

A look at Central
The Dutch are 12-5 overall and 3-3 in the Iowa Conference following losses to Coe and Buena Vista last week. The 97-94 overtime loss to the Beavers came on a last-second 3 by Nick Clark. Despite losing two straight, Central is just one game out of first place. Colby Taylor is the driving force behind the league's No. 2 offense, averaging 22.1 points and 9.5 rebounds, both second in the league to reigning league MVP Andre Norris of Dubuque. The Dutch are the top rebounding team in the conference (43.8 rpg) and lead the league in the 3-pointers made (10.1).

The all-time series
Wednesday marks the 194th meeting in a series that began in 1906-07. Simpson holds a slim 97-96 edge in the all-time series but has lost the last four. Central won both meetings last season by an average of 15 points.

TOP 5 STORM STORYLINES

1. Storm look to remain atop wild IIAC
One game away from the midway point of the Iowa Conference schedule, the Storm - picked last in the preseason coaches' poll - are part of a three-way tie for first in the league. Simpson, Dubuque and Loras are all 4-2, but only two games seperate first place from last place. Coe is a perfect example of the parity in the league. Winless in conference play entering last week, the Kohawks beat conference frontrunners Dubuque and Central. At 11-6, Simpson is already five games ahead of last year's six wins.

2. Boss of the bench
The Iowa Conference doesn't recognize a sixth-man of the year, but if it did, Sam Amsbaugh would be the frontrunner. In eight games off the bench this season, Amsbaugh averages 17.6 points and six rebounds while shooting 54.1 percent from the field. He's reached 20 points in four of those eight games.

3. Old-school approach paying dividends for the Storm
Simpson's early-season success can be largely attributed to some less-than-glamorous trends. The Storm are currently tops in the IIAC in defense, free throw percentage and turnover margin. Though not always highlight-worthy, Simpson allows just 71.1 points per game, makes 75 percent of its free throws and is +5 in the turnover margin. The Storm have yet to commit more turnovers than an opponent and have held five of six IIAC foes below their season scoring average.

4. Automatic from the line
Through 17 games, Simpson is one of the top free throw shooting teams in all of Division III. Shooting 75 percent from the line, the Storm lead the Iowa Conference and rank 28th in the nation. The school record for free throw percentage in a season is 75.8 set in 1994-95. The next highest mark is 72.1 percent, set in 2001-02. The Storm have three players shooting better than 80 percent from the line: Ryan Skaar (92.5), Sam Amsbaugh (83.3) and Dillon Gretzky (80.0).

5. Skaar closing in on a milestone
Simpson's top deep threat over the past two seasons, Ryan Skaar is within reach of a career milestone. The junior enters Wednesday's game at Central nine shy of 100 career 3-pointers. He is looking to become just the seventh player in school history to reach the mark. His 38 3-pointers this season are tied for sixth-most in the Iowa Conference.

The coach
Brad Bjorkgren is in his first season as head coach of the Storm. The Simpson alum coached Urbandale High School for 27 seasons, winning nearly 400 games, nine conference championships and appearing in seven Class 4A State Tournaments.

Up next
Simpson goes to Dubuque on Saturday, Jan. 30.