Storm can’t hold early lead in loss to Dubuque

INDIANOLA, Iowa — TJ Lake scored 27 points, including back-to-back 3s to break open a tie game in the final minutes, and Dubuque came back to beat the Simpson men's basketball team 80-76 on Wednesday night.

With the game tied 67-all and under 4 minutes to play, Lake hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give Dubuque a six-point edge.

Simpson had a chance to tie down by three with 11 seconds left but couldn't get a look from beyond the arc as Dubuque opted to foul. Although the Spartans struggled from the line shooting just 38.1 percent on the night, Deonte Newsome made one free throw with 5 seconds left to seal the win.

Jamaree Atwater had 17 points and Michael Williams pulled down a team-high eight rebounds for the Spartans (11-8, 3-7), who won for the third time in four games.

Sam Amsbaugh had 22 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late and Conor Riordan added 14 points and 10 boards for the Storm (9-9, 5-5), who dropped their third-straight.

Simpson came out of the gates hot, building a 15-point lead midway through the first half. Aaron Hauser's 3-pointer sparked a 10-0 run that made it 27-12 on Riordan's layup with 11:15 to play in the opening half.

The lead evaporated by halftime thanks to a 12-3 run by the Spartans to close the period. The Storm led 36-35 at the break and neither team could take control of the game until the final minutes.

Kyle Wagner and Ben Rajewski made 3s in the final minute to give Simpson a chance. Rajewski's 3 with 20 seconds left made it a 79-76 game.

Dubuque finished with 17 offensive rebounds, outscoring Simpson 17-3 in second-chance points.

Up Next
Saturday, Jan. 27 vs. Nebraska Wesleyan

Key Players
Sam Amsbaugh — 22 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists
Conor Riordan — 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Tyler Stumbo — 10 points, 3 rebounds