Storm clinch A-R-C Tournament slot on senior day

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Since 24 games weren't enough to make it into the American Rivers Conference Tournament, the Simpson men's basketball team needed one more to clinch a spot after an 85-72 victory over Buena Vista on Saturday.

The win pushed the Storm (13-12, 7-9 A-R-C) into the A-R-C Tournament for the fifth-straight season under head coach Brad Bjorkgren. Simpson is the fifth seed in this year's bracket since Wartburg knocked off Dubuque earlier today to keep the Spartans from continuing their season.

A well-balanced attack led Simpson over the Beavers (18-7, 9-7 A-R-C) as four different players scored in double figures. The senior trio the Storm have relied on all season stepped up to combine for 53 points, with Conor Riordan leading the way with 21. Adam Reiter came one rebound shy of his 11th double-double of the year with 17 points, and Kyle Wagner poured in 15. Freshman Collin Lister ended with a season-high 16 points off the bench.

The offense captured its third-straight 50% shooting effort in the win, connecting on 56.6% of its attempts and went 52.4% from deep. Buena Vista shot just 39.4% overall and 20% from long range.

Simpson hurried to an 8-2 tilt in the first 3:14 of play after Kade Tatkenhorst knocked down a triple and a layup during the span. The visitors bounced back on a 7-0 tilt to take the lead and both teams traded blows until it was deadlocked at 18.

After the short tie, the Storm went on a slim 4-0 run before the Beavers responded by scoring eight-straight points to put the game in favor of Buena Vista, 26-22. Simpson regained the lead at 31-30 on a bucket by Wagner and remained ahead the rest of the half. Bryce Yoder tallied his lone three points of the game on a triple to send the Storm into the break with a 42-36 advantage.

Reiter started the second stanza with a make to give the game an eight-point buffer. The Beavers then went on a 12-3 spurt to bring the game to within one during the first five minutes of the frame. This would be the closest Buena Vista would get the rest of the way.

Over the next 15 minutes of play, Simpson would only allow the opposition to get within three points on six instances. The Beavers battled back from a seven-point deficit to only a two-point gap with 3:32 left in the contest. The senior trio started an 8-0 run to provide some breathing room and clinch the victory.

Before the game began, the Storm honored their six seniors and two senior student coaches; Jared Bacon, Nick Janssen Adam Reiter, Conor Riordan, Kenton Thoms, Kyle Wagner, Ben Bjorkgren and Gable Johnson.

Up Next
Simpson takes on a familiar foe on Tuesday in the opening round of the A-R-C Tournament as Buena Vista hosts the Storm for a 7 p.m. showdown. The winner advances to play Nebraska Wesleyan.