Riordan nets 29, Simpson falls at Buena Vista

STORM LAKE, Iowa -- A 29-point performance by Conor Riordan was not enough as the Simpson men's basketball team fell 87-76 to Buena Vista on Wednesday.

Riordan secured his second-straight 26-plus scoring output on 9 of 14 shooting and went 4-for-6 from 3. Adam Reiter added his seventh double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds, while Collin Lister scored 10 points to help the Storm (8-7, 2-4 A-R-C).

Despite the loss, Simpson shot better in the field with a 51.1% clip, compared to the Beavers' (14-2, 5-2 A-R-C) 43.8%. Both teams were nearly identical in 3-point shooting, but Buena Vista held the edge from deep, 35.7% to 34.8%, for its fourth win in a row.

Both teams traded blows early from behind the arc after Riordan opened the game with a triple, but the lead didn't last long as the Beavers responded on the ensuing possession with a 3. Lister answered with a 3-pointer of his own and just like before, Buena Vista knocked down a long-range jumper to place it even once again at 6-6.

The Storm grabbed an 11-8 lead at the 16:00 mark for their largest advantage of the contest. The Beavers reeled off an 11-3 spurt over the next 4:20 of game action to go ahead 19-13. The Simpson offense then used a 5-minute spurt to hammer out a 9-4 scoring spree to place the game at 22-21 in favor of the Storm. Buena Vista came back to retake the lead and held on for a 35-30 advantage at the half.

Simpson would bring the deficit to within four points in the second, but couldn't get over the hump. The Beavers held tight to stretch the lead to 13 at 4:29 for their largest advantage of the game. Despite not finishing off the comeback, the Storm offense prospered by shooting 59.1% from the floor and 84.2% at the free throw line.

Buena Vista held the tilt in bench scoring (27-10), points off turnovers (25-4) and in steals (10-6) to remain second in the American Rivers Conference standings. The reigning A-R-C Player of the Week, Dominic Sesma, was held to eight points, while Michael Demers led the way with 18 points for the hosts.

Notes
• Riordan has made nine baskets in both of the last games to average 27.5 points per contest.
• Reiter has been a force on the glass as of late with 12.5 rebounds per game over the last two outings.
• With the victory, the Beavers equaled their A-R-C win total in 2018-19 with five.

Up Next
The Storm are back on the road on Saturday for a 4 p.m. showdown at Luther in Decorah, Iowa.