Wartburg too much for men's basketball

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Chad Gutschenritter scored 22 points but the Simpson men's basketball team didn't have an answer for the Wartburg big men in an 83-67 loss on Saturday.

Eddie Diemer had a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double and Chris Thomas added 18 points for the Knights (9-8, 3-3 Iowa Conference).

Wartburg used a 14-3 run late in the first half to build an 11-point lead and never saw the lead dip below nine the rest of the way.

Gutschenritter carried the load on offense for the Storm (3-14, 1-5), who lost their second straight. He went 7-for-14 from the field and 3-for-8 from 3-point range.

Seeing action for the first time in four games, Austin Hennings came off the bench to score 10 points.

Wartburg outscored Simpson 34-20 in the paint and held a 43-34 edge on the boards.

Simpson returns to action Wednesday, Jan. 29 when it travels to Dubuque for an 8 p.m. tip. The 25th-ranked Spartans (16-1, 5-1) lost their first game of the season on Saturday, a 76-66 setback at Loras.