Hedrick's clutch 3 helps Simpson hold off Buena Vista 62-54

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Brittany Hedrick scored a game-high 14 points and Simpson held off a second half comeback to beat Buena Vista 62-54 on Saturday at Cowles Fieldhouse.

Hedrick knocked down a 3 to break a 45-45 tie with 5:35 to play and Simpson held on from there, building its lead back to double digits in the final 3 minutes. Simpson led by as much as 15 in the second half before Buena Vista came back.

Rachel Kaale scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half, MacKenzie Haupt added 12 points and Hedrick contributed five assists for the Storm (11-2, 1-1 Iowa Conference), who were in danger of suffering an 0-2 start in league play for only the second time in 28 seasons.

Shelby Wiederhoeft posted an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double and Sidney Beckman scored 11 points on 3 of 9 shooting from beyond the arch for the Beavers (5-8, 0-2).

Trailing 41-28 in the second half, Buena Vista used a 15-2 run to tie the game at 43 with 7:47 left. A Shelby Wiederhoeft layup tied the game again at 45 before Hedrick hit a 3 from the top of the key to put Simpson ahead for good.

Despite being out-rebounded 51-35, Simpson held one of the nation's top 3-point shooting teams to just 5-for-26 shooting from beyind the arch. The Beavers come in averaging nearly 10 3s per game.

With the win, Simpson improves to 5-1 under Brian Niemuth coming off a loss in the IIAC opener. The last time Simpson started 0-2 in league play was the 1987-88 season, Niemuth's first at the helm.

Up Next: Simpson faces defending IIAC champion Loras in Dubuque on Wednesday, Jan. 14. The Duhawks (7-6, 1-1) lost to Coe 72-65 on Saturday.