Storm make late plays to edge Carthage 64-60

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Noreen Morrow had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Janey Botkins hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 50 seconds left and the Simpson women's basketball team came back to beat Carthage 64-60 Thursday to close its trip to the Daytona Beach Shootout.

Botkins finished with nine points and Claire Johnson had eight rebounds and four assists for the Storm (8-4), who trailed by four with just under 2 minutes left before scoring the final eight points.

Simpson failed to make plays down the stretch in Wednesday's one-point loss to Lebanon Valley, but came through in the clutch Thursday. The Storm finish their trip to Florida 1-1.

Bailey Gilbert's 3-pointer gave Carthage (7-4) a 60-56 lead with 1:58 left in the fourth, but Morrow responded with a jumper to pull within two. Johnson rebounded a miss on the ensuing possession and found Botkins, who hit her third trey of the game for a 61-60 lead.

Johnson pulled down another defensive board with 32 seconds left before going 1-for-2 at the line. Jenna Taylor sealed the win with a pair of free throws with just 4 seconds to go as the Storm improved to 2-0 all-time against Carthage.

The Simpson defense kept Carthage off the board in the final four possessions. 

Autumn Kalis came off the bench to score a game-high 21 points for the Lady Reds, who came into the game riding a three-game winning streak. 

Morrow took the game over in the second half, scoring 14 points en-route to her fifth double-double of the season and 20th of her career. She surpassed the 900-point plateau in the process and enters the new year with 915 career points.

Simpson led 28-27 at halftime and didn't trail until the 7:58 mark in the fourth when Kalis hit a 3 to make it 51-48, capping a 14-3 Carthage run. Simpson led by eight with 2:33 left in the third, its largest of the game.

Key Players
Noreen Morrow — 19 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks
Janey Botkins — 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
Jenna Taylor — 7 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals
Claire Johnson — 6 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal

Up Next
Wednesday, Jan. 3 vs. Luther