Storm defense suffocates Grand View in 67-50 win

DES MOINES, Iowa – In a battle of ranked foes, the Simpson women's basketball team put forth a stout defensive effort on the road and ran away from Grand View 67-50 on Wednesday night.

Ranked 17th in the nation in NCAA Division III, the Storm (8-0) forced 30 turnovers against the Vikings (5-3), who came into the game ranked 13th in NAIA.

Kate Nielsen and Whitney Van Wyk scored 13 points apiece and Chelsie Rohrs grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Storm. Van Wyk went 7-for-7 from the free throw line as Simpson went 26-for-31 as a team, including 19-for-23 in the second half.

Simpson's nearly 84 percent free throw shooting offset a less-than-stellar shooting night that saw the Storm go 17 of 57 for 29.8 percent.

After watching a 14-point, first-half lead disintegrate to a one-point lead at halftime, Simpson turned up the defensive pressure in the second half. The Storm held Grand View scoreless for the first 5 minutes, 35 seconds of the second half while mounting an 11-0 run.

Leading 44-33 after a free throw by Brooke Panzer, back-to-back technical fouls by Grand View sent Van Wyk to the line for four straight free throws. She made each attempt and just over a minute later went 3-for-3 from the charity stripe after drawing a foul on a 3.

That stretch effectively put the game away and Simpson would lead by as many as 28 down the stretch.

Morgan Hamner scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Vikings. She also led the team with nine turnovers.

Simpson is off until Dec. 15 when its hosts UW-River Falls at 3 p.m.