Simpson defeats Central, earns spot in A-R-C Championship

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- The No. 7 Simpson College women's basketball team scheduled a date with the American Rivers Conference Tournament Championship this Saturday after winning 75-61 over fourth-seeded Central on Thursday to advance.

The top-seeded Storm (11-0) will host second-seeded Coe (9-3) this Saturday at 6 p.m. in the title game after tallying their 40th-straight victory over the Dutch (6-4) in the semifinals.

Simpson had four players reach double digits in the win, with Cassie Nash pacing the offense with a season-high 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting. Cameron Kincaid added 17 points and Jenna Taylor produced another double-double, this time with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Regan Freland tallied 13 points off the bench with two treys.

Central, making its first appearance in a semifinal game since 2001, got on the board first with a triple, but the lead didn't last for long when Kincaid connected on a layup after she was fouled for a three-point play to knot the game. Since that point, Simpson didn't trail the rest of the way.

The Storm pushed the lead to 12-3 before closing the first quarter on a 7-3 tilt to hold a 23-13 edge. The offense shot 52.6% from the floor and held the Dutch to a 28.6% shooting clip.

In the second frame, Simpson increased the advantage to 17 at one point to keep a double-digit buffer. The Storm ended the half ahead 38-25 by shooting 51.5%. Kincaid scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting through the first 20 minutes.

Simpson continued to keep its foot on the gas in the second half and held Central from getting within 10 points the rest of the way. The Dutch shot 31.7% for the game with 10 triples from deep to boost the offense.

Head coach Brian Niemuth's offense shot 44.6% overall in the contest and the defense forced 20 turnovers, just the third time this year Central has committed at least 20 miscues in a game. Nash was the driving force with four steals as the team finished with 14, which played a role in Simpson owning a 16-0 fastbreak advantage.

Up Next
Saturday's A-R-C Tournament Championship game will take place at 6 p.m. between Simpson and Coe inside Cowles Fieldhouse. Live stats and video will be provided through SimpsonAthletics.com.