Amsbaugh goes for 38 in shootout loss to Grinnell

GRINNELL, Iowa — Sam Amsbaugh followed up Monday's 40-point performance with 38 on Tuesday, but it wasn't enough as the Simpson men's basketball team lost to Grinnell 112-104.

Connor Riordan scored 14 points off the bench, DJ Dafney chipped in with 11 and Amsbaugh added 12 rebounds for the Storm (4-2), who led by seven in the second half before Grinnell closed the game on a 10-0 run.

Vinny Curta scored 28 points off the bench and Jacob Ekstrand made five 3-pointers -- including two down the stretch -- for the Pioneers (3-2), who came into the game leading Division III with 136.5 points per game.

Riordan's short jumper with 1:34 left gave Simpson a 104-102 lead but Ekstrand responded with back-to-back 3-pointers. Simpson came up empty on the next two possessions, allowing Grinnell to win its second straight despite its second-lowest scoring output of the season.

Coming into the game with one of the lowest turnover averages in the nation at 11.2 per game, the Storm were hampered by the attacking, full-court pressure of Grinnell. Simpson committed 30 turnovers -- the most since Brad Bjorkgren took over as head coach last season -- that turned into 34 points for the Pioneers.

The back-and-forth affair featured 12 ties and 17 lead changes with neither team leading by more than eight points.

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Simpson opens Iowa Conference play Saturday when it hosts Wartburg at Cowles Fieldhouse. The Knights (5-0) edged Governors State 83-82 on Saturday and host Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday.