Storm survive scare at Dubuque, win 75-66

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Kate Nielsen scored 30 points, Chelsie Rohrs hit two clutch 3-pointers in the second half and the No. 11 Simpson women's basketball team rallied from six down in the closing minutes to beat Dubuque, 75-66 on Saturday.

Nielsen scored 19 in the second half alone and went 3-for-4 from beyond the arc to go along with five rebounds. Rohrs and Nicole Crisp had 12 points apiece as the Storm (15-1, 5-0 Iowa Conference) ran their winning streak to six.

Mollie Whiting had 23 points and Maggie Schmidt had 17 off 5-for-8 shooting from 3-point range for the Spartans (12-4, 2-3), who lost for the third time in five games after starting the season 10-1.

Rohrs gave Simpson the lead for good when she knocked down a 3 with 3:30 left, making the score 61-60. The triple came as part of a crucial 11-0 run that helped Simpson pull away down the stretch. Brooke Panzer sparked the rally with a fade-away jumper that cut Dubuque's 60-56 lead in half with 4:20 to play.

Dubuque didn't have an answer as Simpson outscored the home team 19-6 to close the game out.

The first 3 of the afternoon by Rohrs couldn't have come at a better time. Simpson was in the midst of a five-minute drought from the field, during which time Dubuque mounted a 14-1 run, turning a 48-41 deficit into a 55-49 lead. Schmidt made three 3s over a span of 3 minutes during the rally before Rorhrs silenced the run, cutting the Dubuque lead to 55-52 with 7:16 left.

The Storm shot nearly 47 percent in the game and hit better than 54 percent in the second half. They also made 21 of 25 from the free throw line.

Next up for the Storm is a meeting with preseason conference favorite Coe on Monday, Jan. 21. The Kohawks (10-6, 3-2) beat Luther 72-58 on Saturday.

Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.