Slow start hurts Storm men in loss to Coe

INDIANOLA, Iowa - Matt Vonderhaar had 20 points, Jacob Timm flirted with a triple double and Coe beat the Simpson men's basketball team 87-66 on Saturday.

Timm finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and eight assists for the Kohawks (9-14, 4-8 Iowa Conference), who outscored Simpson 23-8 in the final 10 minutes after nearly losing an 18-point lead.

Sam Amsbaugh led the Storm (14-9, 7-5) with 16 points and seven rebounds, Simpson's only player in double figures. Simpson managed to cut the lead to six twice in the second half but didn't have an answer for the hot-shooting Kohawks, who won on the road for just the third time this season.

Despite the loss, Simpson managed to clinch a berth in the Iowa Conference Tournament thanks to Dubuque's 72-53 win over Luther. The Storm will make their first trip to the tournament since 2013.

Coe led by 13 at halftime and extended the lead to 18 on a layup by Timm just over a minute into the second half. Simpson went a 7-0 run to cut into the lead, but free throws from Evan Wadsager and Vonderhaar pushed the advantage back to 14.

With Austin Turner on the bench in foul trouble, Brook Thompson came in and hit a 3 from the left wing to spark a 12-4 run. Sabonis Smith and Tyler Anderson hit treys during the stretch and a free throw by Amsbaugh made it 62-56 with 11:31 left.

A layup by Amsbaugh made it 64-58 with 10:38 left, but Mashall Shedeck silenced the run with a 3. A technical foul on the Storm allowed Coe to push the lead to 12 and Simpson went cold, making just one field goal in the final 10 minutes.

Coe built its lead thanks to an 11-0 run in the first half that gave it a 24-12 lead at the midway point. The Kohawks shot almost 52 percent from the field in the first half, including 7-for-14 from 3-point range. They finished 11-for-22 for the game.

Up next: Simpson hosts Buena Vista on Wednesday, Feb. 17, the final home game of the regular season. The Beavers (9-14, 4-8) lost to Loras 73-71 on Saturday.