Storm cool after hot start, fall to Coe

INDIANOLA, Iowa — Noreen Morrow scored 21 points but the Simpson women's basketball team couldn't maintain a fast start, losing to Coe 70-65 on Saturday.

Morrow and the Storm (5-10, 2-4 Iowa Conference) blitzed Coe early, scoring nine unanswered points to start the game in opening a 15-3 lead. The Kohawks (8-7, 3-3) fought back, though, pulling within eight by halftime and outscoring Simpson 25-15 in the fourth quarter.

Jenna Lehman scored 21 points and Mickey Hansche scored 17, going 5-for-13 from 3-point range. Coe made 12 3-pointers in the game, including four in the third quarter.

Britney Boland scored 11 of her 16 points in the first half and Rachel Freland filled the stat sheet with eight points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals for the Storm. Morrow went 9-for-13 from the field and brought down six rebounds.

Hansche's 3 with 4:26 to play pulled Coe within 59-58 and Aleena Hobbs made a pair of free throws to give Coe its second lead of the game, part of a crippling 12-0 fourth-quarter run by the Kohawks. Simpson went more than 5 minutes without a field goal in the fourth quarter before Morrow's layup with 19 seconds left.

The game couldn't have started much better for the Storm, who scored on five of their first six possessions. Full-court, pressure defense created eight Coe turnovers in the first quarter as Simpson built its lead to as many as 15 points. 

Coe settled down after the first quarter, committing just 11 turnovers in the final three quarters.

In the final Saturday game at Cowles Fieldhouse this season, the Storm recognized four seniors after the game: Katie Ahrenholtz, Taryn Barz, Britney Boland and Megan Lankford.

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It's a quick turn-around for Simpson, which travels to Storm Lake to face Buena Vista on Monday. The Beavers (8-7, 4-2) lost to Luther 71-63 on Saturday.