Posted: Feb 06, 2016

Storm men welcome Central for crucial contest

The Simpson men's basketball team looks to avoid three-straight losses for the first time this season when it hosts Central on Saturday, Feb. 6. Currently part of a three-way tie for third place in the Iowa Conference standings with Central, Saturday's game has major conference tournament implications for both teams. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. from Cowles Fieldhouse.

Game Setup
Matchup: Central (14-6, 5-4) at Simpson (12-8, 5-4)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 6
Time: 4 p.m.
Location: Cowles Fieldhouse - Indianola, Iowa

Live Coverage
Stats: SimpsonAthletics.com
Video: SimpsonAthletics.com
Auido: kniakrls.com

Last Time Out
Jordan Cannon had 29 points and Wartburg held on to beat Simpson 95-87 despite nearly losing a 26-point, second-half lead Wednesday night at Cowles Fieldhouse. Dillon Gretzky scored 15 of his 16 points in the second half, leading the comeback for the Storm. Simpson cut the lead to six at one point.

A look at Central
The Dutch are deadlocked with Simpson in a tie for third place in the league standings, coming in at 14-6 overall and 5-4 in the Iowa Conference. Central has won both games since losing to Simpson just 11 games ago, beating Coe 84-63 and Luther 84-71. Since being held in check against the Storm, leading scorer Colby Taylor is averaging 24.5 points and nine rebounds, including a 33-point, 12-rebound outburst against Luther on Wednesday. The Dutch lead the league in rebounding margin (+7.4) while Simpson is last (-3.5).

The all-time series
Wednesday marks the 195th meeting in a series that began in 1906-07. Simpson holds a slim 98-96 edge in the all-time series, snapping a four-game losing streak with an 86-78 win on Jan. 27 in Pella.

TOP 5 STORM STORYLINES

1. Lucky No. 13
Simpson enters Saturday's contest with a 12-8 record. One more win would guarantee the Storm finish at or above the .500 mark (depending on a potential berth in the IIAC Tournament), an elusive goal in recent seasons. Simpson hasn't had a winning record since the 2006-07 squad went 18-9.

2. Short memory
The Storm are 5-2 following a loss in 2015-16 and are looking to avoid suffering three-straight losses for the first time this season. In games following a loss, Simpson shoots 43 percent from the field while handing out four more assists per game and creating five more turnovers per game than opponents. Dillon Gretzky leads the team's recovery efforts to the tune of 16.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game following a loss.

3. Production at the point
Simpson point guard Austin Turner is one of the best in the Iowa Conference at his position. Currently third in the league in both assists (80) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5), the junior is enjoying a career season. Turner endured some bumps in the road as a first-year starter a year ago, finishing the season with 57 assists and a 2.1 assist-to-turnover ratio while scoring just over five points per game. This season, Turner averages almost 10 points per contest to go along with his four assists per game. He has 80 assists so far this season, putting him on pace to hand out 100. He would be the first Simpson player with at least 100 assists since 2012-13.

4. Taking care of the ball
A big reason for Simpson's success in 2015-16 has been its ability to commit fewer turnovers than its opponents. Simpson has turned it over fewer times than its opponent in all but one game this season, its 74-60 loss at Dubuque last Saturday. The Storm own one of the top turnover margins in all of Division III at +4.9, 14th-best in the country and tops in the Iowa Conference.

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 Saturday's game against Central six shy of 100 career 3-pointers. He is looking to become just the seventh player in school history to reach the mark. His 41 3-pointers this season are tied for a career-high and good for eighth 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 Luther on Wednesday, Feb. 10.