Simpson hosts Coe for 90th meeting

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- For the 90th time, Simpson and Coe will clash on the hardwood in men's basketball Saturday night. In a series that dates back to the 1911-12 season, the Storm look to add to its three-game win streak over the Kohawks.

Simpson (9-6, 3-4 American Rivers) looks to rebound after a hard-fought loss at Central on Wednesday. The Dutch sealed the 87-84 win in the waning seconds. Kyle Wagner highlighted the game for Simpson by scoring 25 points.

Coe (9-7, 3-4) fell to No. 1 Nebraska Wesleyan 80-72 on Wednesday. The Kohawks are on a two-game losing skid, losing to the top two teams in the league by an average 4.5 points during the span.

Both teams share 3-4 records in conference play and look to end the first half of the league slate on a high note.

The game will be video streamed live on SimpsonAthletics.com, where Bryan Geelan will have the call. Andrew Swadner and Rick Wilson will have the call for the audio stream on KNIAKRLS.com. Fans can also access the video stream via the American Rivers application on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV.

GAME 16
Coe (9-7, 3-4) at Simpson (9-6, 3-4)
Saturday, Jan. 19 | 7 p.m.
Cowles Fieldhouse | Indianola, Iowa
Live Audio | Live Video/Live Stats

COE SERIES NOTES
Simpson and Coe are meeting for the 90th time in the series and the Kohawks own a 48-41 record over the Storm … Simpson has won the last three contests by an average 6.0 points per game … prior to Simpson's recent run of success in the series, Coe won 12 of 14 between 2009-17 … the two schools have faced each other twice in postseason play since 1999.

RECENT RESULTS
Feb. 17, 2018 — W, 75-72 (Indianola)
Jan. 10, 2018 — W, 79-69 (Cedar Rapids)
Jan. 21, 2017 — W, 67-62 (Cedar Rapids)
Jan. 14, 2017 — L, 80-70 (Indianola)
Feb. 13, 2016 — L, 87-66 (Indianola)

ABOUT THE KOHAWKS
Coe enters the game on a two-game losing skid after winning three contests in a row. The Kohawks are led by seventh-year head coach and Simpson alum, Bryan Martin. Coe displays four players that have seen action in all 16 games and are also averaging over 10 points per game. Senior Nolan Timp sits third in the conference in scoring at 18.7 points per game and is fifth with 6.3 rebounds a game. Timp is also second in the conference in field-goal percentage at 64.2 percent. The Kohawks have been stellar on defense all year and the lead the conference in scoring defense (73.5 ppg).

LAST TIME OUT
The Storm dropped an 87-84 decision at Central on Wednesday after the Dutch scored in the final seconds to take the advantage. After Simpson climbed out to a 12-point lead halfway through the first half, Central cut the deficit to just one going into intermission.

Kyle Wagner continued his torrid pace and tallied 25 points on 8 of 13 shooting. The junior is averaging 25.0 ppg over his last three games. Coe lost 80-72 to No. 1 Nebraska Wesleyan. Timp netted 20 points in the loss.

STORM NOTES
• Simpson has been taking care of business at the free throw line as of late, shooting better than 87 percent in the last four games. During that span the Storm tied a school record by going 11-for-11 against Nebraska Wesleyan on Jan. 9.
• The Storm are third in the conference in scoring at 84.8 ppg and fourth in scoring margin (6.5).
• Junior forward Kyle Wagner has over 20 points in three straight games and has scored in double-figures on 10 occasions this season, one more that last season's total. He's averaging 25 ppg over the last three games and ranks third in the country in 3-point percentage (54.2).
• Junior forward Adam Reiter is enjoying a career season, averaging 12.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game after averaging just 2.8 and 1.8 as a sophomore.
• Head coach Brad Bjorkgren became just the fifth coach in school history to reach 50 career wins with the Storm's 94-69 win at Luther on Dec. 3. He is the second-fastest to reach the mark, needing just 85 games. Bjorkgren is 53-39 in four seasons with the Storm.

UP NEXT
Simpson hits the road again for an 8 p.m. matchup at Buena Vista on Wednesday. The Beavers host Loras on Monday.