Trio of scorers guide Simpson to 75-61 win over Luther

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Andrew Curran and Tajen Ross reached 20 points, Chris Honz tallied 18, and the Simpson College men's basketball team snapped a 13-game losing skid with a 75-61 win over Luther inside Cowles Fieldhouse.

The Storm (5-16, 2-10 A-R-C) distanced themselves with a 20-2 run in the second half as Simpson held the Norse (7-13, 4-8 A-R-C) scoreless from the field for nearly eight minutes while building a 63-48 lead with 8:23 remaining. Ross had eight points during the stretch, Curran and Honz added five apiece and Jack Hutchinson contributed two. The home team led by at least a dozen the rest of the way, securing a season split with Luther.

Both teams were 50.0 percent from the field in the first half but the visitors knocked down five more three-pointers than the Storm for a 35-34 edge at halftime. Luther's first six field goals came behind the arc as the Norse jumped out to a 20-15 tilt. Simpson closed the margin to one at the break with the help of seven points from Curran in the final five and a half minutes.

Curran finished the game with 26 points while shooting 9-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-5 from deep. Ross tallied 20 points and led all rebounders with eight, and Honz added 18 points, six rebounds and three assists. Hutchinson registered seven points and six rebounds.

Simpson shot better than 50.0 percent for the first time since Dec. 4 and had its highest scoring output in American Rivers Conference action this season.

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The Storm look to ride the momentum into a Wednesday evening road matchup with Buena Vista on Feb. 9. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.