Men’s basketball downs Kohawks on the road

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Simpson College men's basketball team handed Coe its first American Rivers Conference loss of the season on Saturday with a 74-64 road victory.

The Storm (4-3, 1-1 A-R-C) outscored Coe, who came into the weekend sitting atop the conference standings, by five in each stanza to earn the victory and snap a three-game skid in the series with the Kohawks (8-2, 2-1 A-R-C).

The two teams put up 12 points each before Skyler Handlos sank a three to ignite a 10-0 run by the Storm. Following the freshman's triple, Chris Honz and Trent Williamson each converted a layup and Andrew Curran knocked down a three of his own. Simpson shot 71.4 percent from the field through the first 9:16 of the contest, nearly 30.0 percent better than the home team.

Coe scored on seven-straight possessions as part of an 18-4 run that helped the Kohawks regain the lead, but back-to-back trifectas from Caden Rehmeier and Curran stalled the home team's offense and gave the Storm a 32-30 advantage. After the Kohawks tied the game, Honz and Curran generated five-straight points and Buck Eagleburger closed the frame with a three-pointer as Simpson led 40-35 at the break.

Simpson stretched its lead to double-digits again midway through the second half after a 7-0 spurt highlighted by four points from Curran earned the Storm a 53-42 lead. Simpson's offense was once again on fire as the Storm opened the second frame shooting 75.0 percent from the floor in the first eight minutes of the half. In that same time frame, the home team made just 3-of-11 shots.

The Kohawks pulled within four, 62-58, with four minutes left in the game but Deontei Johnson knocked down a big three and Curran's eighth bucket of the night gave Simpson some much-needed breathing room as the Storm increased their buffer to nine points, 67-58, and held on for the road win.

Simpson finished the game with its second-highest shooting percentage of the season thanks to a 58.3 percent shooting clip from the floor. The Storm made 63.0 percent of their shots in the first half and 52.4 percent in the second.

With a 26-point performance, Curran extended his streak of double-digit scoring outputs to 10 games dating back to last season. He shot 50.0 percent from the field and added five rebounds and an assist.

Honz recorded his second double-double in as many games with 14 points and 10 rebounds. He also had a pair of assists, a block and a steal. Deontei Johnson tallied 14 points, four rebounds, two steals and an assist in his first game since Nov. 16, and Trent Williamson recorded nine points and six rebounds.

Up Next
Simpson has a week to prepare for its next A-R-C game taking place next Saturday against Wartburg. The Storm host the Knights for a 4 p.m. contest inside Cowles Fieldhouse.