Storm stun No. 10 Platteville

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- What a difference a year makes.

One season after a humbling loss in Wisconsin to the eventual WIAC champions, the Simpson men's basketball team redeemed itself in a big way Tuesday, knocking off No. 10 Wis.-Platteville 97-86 at Cowles Fieldhouse.

Conor Riordan scored 26 points and Adam Reiter poured in a career-high 21 to go along with seven rebounds for the Storm (4-1), who shot nearly 67 percent in the second half to win their fourth straight.

The Storm shot under 40 percent in a 91-55 loss at Platteville last season. Tuesday was a different story, thanks in large part to some ights-out 3-point shooting in the second half.

Taylor Filbert provided a boost off the bench, going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc, including 3-for-3 in the second half. Simpson went 7-for-8 from long range in the final 20 minutes.

With the game tied 50-50, Filbert nailed the go-ahead 3 from the left wing with 15:40 left and Simpson led the rest of the way. The Storm led 71-69 before a 3 by Riordan sparked a 10-0 run, which culminated with an and-one from Ben Rajewski. The sequence started when the 6-foot-9 Reiter blocked Alex Ranney's 3-point attempt. John Barbee directed the fast break, finding Rajewski under the hoop for the emphatic finish.

Reigning WIAC Player of the Year Robert Duax finished with 32 points on 15-for-22 shooting to lead the Pioneers (1-2), who opened the season ranked No. 10 by D3hoops.com.

Simpson built an 11-point lead in the first half before Platteville answered with a 15-0 run. Carter Voelker closed the run with back-to-back 3s to give the Pioneers a 41-37 lead, and they took a 46-41 lead into halftime.

The Storm opened the second half on a 12-4 run, capped off by Filbert's go-ahead 3.

Barbee finished with 16 points, six assists and four steals for the Storm. Filbert and Kyle Wagner finished with 12 points apiece, going a combined 8-for-9 from 3-point range.

UP NEXT

Simpson travels to Millikin on Sunday, Nov. 25. Start time is set for 4 p.m. in Decatur, Ill.