Wartburg’s late run trips up Storm

WAVERLY, Iowa -- Sawyer Herman scored a game-high 28 points and Wartburg used a late run to beat the Simpson men's basketball team 85-77 in Iowa Conference action on Saturday.

Jaran Sabus added 24 points and seven boards for the Knights (13-8, 6-6), who closed the game on a 17-7 run to snap a four-game losing streak.

Simpson led 70-68 on Conor Riordan's layup with 7:39 left when Wartburg began its run. Sabus made back-to-back layups for the lead then hit a 3 to make it 75-70 with 6:45 to play. He scored 20 of Wartburg's last 25 points, including the final four from the free throw line to seal it.

Riordan scored 23 points and Kyle Wagner added 15 off the bench to lead the Storm (11-10, 7-6). Simpson finished one shy of a season-high with 13 3-pointers but committed an uncharacteristic 15 turnovers, its most in more than two months.

The Storm trailed by as many as 12 in the first but closed the half on a 17-4 run. John Barbee, Aaron Hauser and Wagner made 3s during the stretch to take a 39-38 lead at the break. Simpson opened the second with eight straight points to take an eight-point lead, its largest of the game. Cam Kickbush hit a 3 to stop the run and Wartburg outscored Simpson 47-31 in the final 17:26.

Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 7 vs. Central

Key Players
Conor Riordan -- 23 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Kyle Wagner -- 15 points, 2 rebounds
Aaron Hauser -- 9 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 2 steals
Sam Amsbaugh -- 6 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks