Curran’s 43-point outburst earns him A-R-C honor

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- A career day and a couple of timely shots from Simpson College men's basketball's Andrew Curran is being rewarded as the American Rivers Conference Athlete of the Week, the league announced Monday.

Curran scored a career-high 43 points in the Storm's (3-5, 3-3 A-R-C) 102-100 double overtime victory over league-favorite Loras on Saturday. The Ottumwa, Iowa native tied the game with a last-second shot at the end of regulation before déjà vu struck 10 minutes later when Curran drained the game-winner in the final seconds to snap a five-game losing streak to the Duhawks.

After scoring seven points in the first half, Curran exploded for 28 points in the second with the aid of three jumpers from deep. He did not score in the first overtime, but collected eight of the team's 13 points in the second extra period, with the final two being the dagger.

Overall, Curran went 14-for-25 from the floor and only had one miss in 12 chances at the charity stripe. He ended with five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 42 minutes of work.

The sophomore's 43 points are the most scored by an A-R-C player this season, surpassing the previous mark of 32 set by Nebraska Wesleyan's Connor Riekenberg on Feb. 6. Curran's 43-point outburst is the most since Loras' Josh Ruggle had 43 on Jan. 21, 2019.

Simpson hosts Buena Vista on Wednesday for a 5:30 p.m. contest. Todd Guessford will have the call beginning at 5:15 p.m. on SimpsonAthletics.com.

To view the American Rivers Conference release, click HERE.