Wartburg pulls away late to beat Storm

WAVERLY, Iowa -- The Simpson women's basketball team hung around with one of the best teams in the nation for the better part of three quarters but No. 2 Wartburg pulled away down the stretch, beating the Storm 88-68 in Iowa Conference action Saturday.

Katie Sommer scored 32 points and handed out six assists as the Knights (21-0, 12-0) remained perfect on the season. Miranda Murphy added 14 points and eight rebounds.

Wartburg led by seven with under a minute to play in the third when it went on an 18-3 run that carried into the fourth. Sommer made two 3s during the stretch as the Knights opened a 75-53 lead with 5 minutes left.

Noreen Morrow had 16 points and Maddie Simmons came off the bench to score 15 for the Storm (12-10, 6-7), who lost their third straight.

Simpson led by as many as six in the first quarter, taking an 18-12 lead on Kali Rasmussen's 3-pointer with 5:25 left. The Storm led 22-21 at the end of the opening frame but Sommer made a 3 to open the second and Wartburg led the rest of the way.

Up Next
Wednesday, Feb. 7 vs. Central

Key Players
Noreen Morrow -- 16 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block
Maddie Simmons -- 15 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Jenna Taylor -- 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal