Storm continue perfect start with win over Westminster

INDIANOLA, Iowa - Suffocating defense in the first half combined with a timely second-half run lifted the Simpson men's basketball team to its third straight win to start the year, defeating Westminster, 83-63, Sunday, at Cowles Fieldhouse.

The Storm (3-0) held the Bluejays (0-2) to 32.3% from the field in the first half and led by as many as 24 during the game. The Bluejays went on a run in the second half, but the Storm once again rallied to meet the challenge, especially with timely buckets from Caden McGuire, Buck Eagleburger, and Easton Darling.

The Storm lead early by a score of 11-9, after a three from Andrew Curran, but both defenses tightened over the next few minutes. McGuire provided a much-needed spark for the Storm offense, coming into the game and scoring the next nine points for the Storm, as they embarked on a 15-2 run.

Despite playing with foul trouble most of the game, Andrew Gibb went on a 7-0 by himself as well, stretching the Storm lead to 33-16. Another three from Curran late in the first half gave the Storm a 20 point advantage, but the Blue Jays cut it to 17 at halftime, as the Storm led 43-26.

Simpson opened up the second half much like the first, with a three from Darling putting the Storm up 50-28 early in the period. However, the Bluejays fought back, primarily led by Tre Kempker, who led all scorers and rebounders with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Combined with Kempker's ability to drive and a couple timely threes, the Bluejays embarked on a 19-5 run to cut the lead to eight, 55-47.

Head coach Brad Bjorkgren called timeout and after a Chris Honz layup, Eagleburger hit another massive three that sucked the life out of the Bluejays, putting the Storm back up 13. A few minutes later, back-to-back threes by McGuire put the Storm back up 19 with seven minutes to play, which proved to be insurmountable. The Storm were able cruise to an 83-63 win from there.

Darling led the Storm with 19 points, also dishing out seven assists which was the most of any Storm player in a game in the young season. Honz was one point shy of a double-double, scoring nine and grabbing 10 rebounds. McGuire poured in 16 with his incredible performance off the bench, while Curran and Gibb added 13 and 12, respectively. Eagleburger once again provided timely buckets and hustle plays, adding seven points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes.

The Storm shot 40 percent from the field and from behind the arc, and shot well from the charity stripe once again, going 75%. The Storm are shooting 76.1% from the line so far this season, up almost 14% from the 62.8% mark a season ago.

Up Next
The Storm remain at home and look to continue its perfect start with a home game against Cornell College on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.