Terpstra clutch in final minutes as Storm hold off Luther

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Morgan Terpstra scored seven of her team-high 18 points in the final 90 seconds and the Simpson women's basketball team pulled away for a 79-71 win over Luther on Saturday afternoon.

Terpstra single-handedly put the game away down the stretch. She broke a 68-68 tie on a tough, three-point play with 1:28 left, rebounded a Luther miss on the next possession and then nailed an 18-footer from the left wing.

The senior added a pair of free throws and a blocked shot before the buzzer, finishing one rebound shy of a double-double as the Storm (8-7, 3-1 Iowa Conference) won their third in a row.

Sparked by Terpstra's clutch play, Simpson finished the game on an 11-3 run.

Morgan Mauro scored 11 points, Maddie Bosworth added 11 off the bench and Brittany Hedrick chipped in with 10. Markayla Mahr had five blocks, her fourth game with at least five.

Meagan Koepncik scored a game-high 20 points and Taylor Johnson added 19 off the bench for the Norse (10-5, 1-3), who suffered their ninth straight loss in the series.

Luther trailed by seven at halftime but chipped away at Simpson's lead until a 3 by Anna Madrigal gave the Norse a 54-53 advantage with 10:56 left. Bosworth responded with a three-point play on a jumper from the top of the key the very next possession and Simpson never trailed the rest of the way.

Next on the schedule for Simpson is a trip to Pella to play Central on Wednesday, Jan. 22. The Dutch (9-6, 1-3) lost to league-leading Loras 71-63 on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.