Simpson takes early lead to defeat Central

INDIANOLA, Iowa. -- With a 12-point lead after the first quarter, the Storm women's basketball team never looked back and cruised to a 92-71 over Central on Wednesday.

Simpson (18-6, 10-5 American Rivers) relied on eight different players score in the first quarter to open up with a 25-13 tilt after 10 minutes of play, while the Dutch (7-17, 3-12) had just two players score.

The offense went a little cold in the second quarter after shooting a blistering 55 percent from the floor in the first. The Storm connected on 35 percent of their shots in the second and went 3 of 8 from three. Both teams tallied 17 points in the quarter, but the home squad went into halftime with a 42-30 advantage.

After two quick free throws for the Dutch to start the second half, Claire Johnson connected on two-straight baskets before the visitors drained a triple. Janey Botkins answered with a trey on the ensuing possession to ignite a 7-0 run for Simpson.

In the third quarter, Madie Bacon drained a 3-pointer to push the lead to 21 points at 68-47, which was the largest of the game at that point.

From behind the arc, the team made 14 triples and the Dutch had 13 makes.

The Storm had five players score in double figures, with Cassie Chubb leading with 18 points. Jenna Taylor and Johnson were close to netting double doubles as Taylor ended with 13 points and eight boards, and Johnson had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Maci Gambell had 21 points for Central, while Jenna Clark scored 16.

After the end of the game, the three seniors were honored for their dedication and commitment to the program. Rachel Freland, Kali Rasmussen and Madi Paulson.

TOURNAMENT TALK

Currently the Storm are sitting in third place in the conference standings with one game remaining to play and have 10 league wins. The Storm will host a conference tournament game on Tuesday. Wartburg and Loras have the top-two spots handled, and Coe and Luther are right in the mix at four and five with nine wins each.

GAME NOTES

Simpson lead 44-28 in bench scoring and forced 20 turnovers, 12 of those were stolen passes. The team has made 30-plus baskets in the last two games and have shot 47 percent in both. 

UP NEXT

The Storm travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to take on Coe this Saturday. The contest is slated to begin at 2 p.m.