Conor’s heroics leads Storm to 161-160 win over Greenville

WAUKESHA, Wis. -- Conor Riordan played the hero in the highest scoring men's basketball game in NCAA Division III history as Simpson won 161-160 over Greenville in overtime to close out the Carroll Pre-Thanksgiving Tournament on Saturday.

As the Storm (5-2) were down by three points with two seconds left in regulation, Riordan connected on a triple to tie the game at 142-142 to keep the contest going into overtime. With six seconds left in the extra stanza, the senior showed his offensive prowess by burying two free throws to give Simpson the one-point lead as the Storm defense forced a stop to hold on to win.

Riordan tied a career high with 39 points to be named to the Carroll Pre-Thanksgiving All-Tournament Team and had a career-high eight assists during the nonconference contest, while Adam Reiter poured in 38 points for the most in his career on 18 of 19 shooting. Jeremiah Chandler added 22 points and Chris Honz hit a career best with 21 points as both came off the bench for the Storm.

The Panthers (1-5) had the majority of their scoring happen from behind the arc as Greenville made 26 3-pointers. The Panthers had 16 players see action on the floor and seven scored in double figures.

Simpson looked poised to win the matchup in regulation as the Storm held a 15-point tilt with less than seven minutes to go in the game at 122-107. Simpson kept the distance at double digits with a 133-122 lead with 2:49 left on the clock before Greenville ignited for a 10-0 spurt to come within one as the clock struck under two minutes.

Chandler made a field goal with 22 seconds left to give the team a one-point lead at 139-138, but the Panthers reeled off four straight points to force Riordan to make a triple as time expired.

In overtime, Greenville went on a tear to grab a 155-149 tilt after making three 3-pointers in a row. Reiter stopped the momentum with two layups in 25 seconds and a basket by Riordan tied the game at 155-155. The Panthers went ahead once again at 160-157 before Wagner's basket brought Simpson within one, which set Riordan up for the free throws just moments later for the victory.

Greenville pressed the Storm all afternoon which forced Simpson's offense to score near the basket and it paid off. The team scored 132 points in the paint, while the Panthers had 56 points in that area.

Notes
• The combined 321 points surpasses the record of 318 that was set on Jan. 31, 2018 as Fontbonne won 164-154 over Greenville.
• Despite the large scoring output, Simpson made just four 3-pointers in the game on seven attempts, tying the team's fewest made in a game this season.
• The Panthers are currently averaging 129.7 points per game, while the Storm are scoring 103.1 to lead the American Rivers Conference.
• Less than 24 hours after the team scored its fewest points in a game all season on Friday night, Simspon exploded for its most in a game in history.
• Riordan and Reiter are currently sitting fourth and fifth, respectively, in the A-R-C in scoring per contest.

Up Next
The Storm return home to open up A-R-C play with a 7:30 p.m. contest against Dubuque.