Swanson beats the buzzer, Simpson tops Hannibal-LaGrange

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Lincoln Swanson's go-ahead basket as time expired lifted the Simpson College men's basketball team to a 62-60 win over Hannibal-LaGrange on Saturday.

An 8-0 run fueled by five points from Swanson gave Simpson (2-3) its largest lead of the night with 12:27 left in the game, but Hannibal-LaGrange (2-6) battled all the way back with a 24-9 run to tie the game at 59-all with 1:37 to go.

After each team went 1-for-2 at the stripe, Simpson regained possession with 21 seconds to work with. Andrew Curran drove to the basket and missed his layup with three seconds to go, but Swanson was right under the hoop and played the hero for the Storm as the 6-foot-6 sophomore beat the buzzer with his second put-back attempt to push Simpson ahead 62-60.

Despite relinquishing a big second-half lead, the Storm never trailed in the contest. Seven early points from Trent Williamson helped Simpson to a seven-point lead at 19-12 and Marcus McCray pushed the Storm's advantage to eight with a last-second layup in the opening half that ended with Simpson on top 34-26. Simpson led by at least seven for the majority of the second half including a 15-point lead at 50-35.

Curran scored eight points in each half to lead the team with 16 total, while Chris Honz and Williamson each added nine and had six and five rebounds, respectively. Swanson finished the game with seven points and six rebounds.

Up Next
Simpson hosts Northland tomorrow inside Cowles Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.