Storm can’t slow hot-shooting Buena Vista

STORM LAKE, Iowa — Thomas Wisecup scored 15 points to lead six players in double figures and hot-shooting Buena Vista beat the Simpson men's basketball team 88-82 on Saturday.

Timothy Jeffries added 14 points and Connor Winkelman had five assists for the Beavers (14-4, 7-2 Iowa Conference). Buena Vista won its second game in a row thanks to shooting almost 61 percent from the field.

A back-and-forth affair for the first 24 minutes, Buena Vista used a 22-4 run to take a 62-44 lead with under 10 minutes to play. Simpson pulled within five on Conor Riordan's 3 with 27 seconds left but the Beavers closed the game out at the free throw line.

Sam Amsbaugh scored 25 points and tied a school record by going 11-for-11 from the free throw line for the Storm (9-8, 5-4). Riordan added 16 points and Kyle Wagner chipped in 13 off the bench as Simpson lost its second straight road tilt.

Wisecup's short jumper broke a 40-40 tie and sparked an 11-0 run. The Beavers scored on 10 of the next 11 possessions, part of a 69.2-percent shooting effort in the second half.

Despite shooting just 37 percent from the field in the first half, Simpson took a lead into halftime thanks to an 8-for-10 effort at the charity stripe while holding the Beavers to just one attempt. Riordan drilled one of his four 3-pointers with 3 seconds left in the opening frame for a 33-31 lead at the break.

Key Players
Sam Amsbaugh — 25 points, 6 rebounds, 11-11 FTs
Conor Riordan — 16 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals
Kyle Wagner — 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist

Up Next
Wednesday, Jan. 24 vs. Dubuque