No. 13 Simpson overcomes slow start to defeat Buena Vista

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Despite a 13-point deficit in the first quarter, the No. 13 Simpson College women's basketball team surged back to win 79-68 over Buena Vista on Wednesday for the team's fifth victory in a row against the Beavers.

It took some time for the Storm (5-0, 4-0 A-R-C) to knock off the rust after a two-week layoff as Buena Vista (1-4, 1-4 A-R-C) carried a 15-2 tilt through the first seven minutes of play.

The Beavers connected on two triples in the first quarter and forced Simpson to go 1-for-8 from deep. The poor shooting allowed Buena Vista to have a 17-11 advantage after the first period.

After the visitors drained a 3-pointer to open the scoring lid in the second frame, the Storm went on a 9-0 run to knot the game at 20-20. Senior Jenna Taylor had five points and junior Hattie Rhodes made two baskets to help the offense even the score.

A basket by Buena Vista sophomore Olivia Larsen ignited a 5-0 spurt to help the team go up 29-22 with three minutes left in the half. Taylor made a triple and senior Cameron Kincaid laid in a basket to tie the game at 29-29, before Larsen hit one from deep. Junior Kia Rasmussen answered with a 3-pointer to knot the game right before Taylor sunk a basket to give the Storm a 34-32 lead into the break.

The start of the second half was a different story for Simpson's offense by producing a 7-0 run after both teams went scoreless through the first 90 seconds. The Storm connected on six triples during the third to outscore the Beavers, 28-15, and capture a 15-point lead at the end of the period.

Simpson only led for 50 seconds through the first two quarters, but was out in front for 9:30 of game action during the third with the help of a 61.1% shooting clip. Taylor poured in 10 points and senior Kelli Hanson was perfect from deep with two treys.

A pair of free throws by Rasmussen pushed the lead to 24 during the fourth quarter for the largest gap of the game. The Beavers chewed away at the deficit to cut the game to 16 with 3:42 left, but Rasmussen paused the run with her fifth triple of the game just moments later.

In total, the Storm shot 46.0% from the floor for their second-highest output of the season with 13 triples. Taylor finished with her third-straight double-double with 26 points and 14 rebounds, while Rasmussen added 19 points and Kincaid tallied 12. Rasmussen and Kincaid both missed a double-double as Rasmussen had nine assists and Kincaid grabbed nine boards. Hanson finished with eight off the bench.

Larsen led all scorers with 34 points to lead Buena Vista for a career high as she filled the stat sheet with 14 rebounds and seven steals, with the team having 16 total takeaways. Larsen's 34 points are the most by an American Rivers Conference scorer in a game this season.

Up Next
Simpson travels to Loras (3-3, 1-2 A-R-C) this Saturday for a game that begins at 2 p.m. in Dubuque.