Storm defeat Rams to extend unbeaten start

INDIANOLA, Iowa - The Simpson College men's basketball team is off to its best start in over 20 years after taking down Cornell College, 74-66, Wednesday, at Cowles Fieldhouse.

The Storm (4-0) has not had a better start to its season since the 1997-98 campaign, when the team won its first five games. Easton Darling (24 points) and Andrew Gibb (23 points) had magnificent performances to lead Simpson, while Chris Honz chipped in with 13 points and five rebounds.

The Rams (1-2) started hot with a three by Jordan Magnini in their opening possession, a theme of things to come for Magnini, who led all scorers with 35 points. However, Simpson weathered the early run from the Rams and shot out to an 18-9 lead after a three from Andrew Curran, forcing a Cornell timeout.

The Rams responded with a 14-2 run to take back the lead, 22-20, with Magnini having 16 of the Rams' 22 points. From there, the teams traded buckets until the Storm embarked on a 9-2 run to end the half over the final four minutes to take a 35-30 lead into halftime.

The second half also started out back-and-forth, with the Rams preventing the Storm from running away after a three from Darling gave the Storm a 48-40 lead. Instead, the Rams closed the game to a one-point advantage for the Storm at 50-49, but the Storm responded with a patented second-half run, led by Darling and Gibb. Darling's layup and three-pointer gave the Storm a six-point lead, before an and-one from Gibb stretched the lead to nine.

With the Rams staying within striking distance, Darling slammed the door shut in what was the game's turning point. Darling hit a three from the right wing to put the Storm up double digits and then answered a Rams bucket with another three from the left side to put the Storm up 66-53 with under six minutes to go.

The Storm continued to answer buckets by the Rams, never allowing them to get back within 10 points until the final shot of the game, which was meaningless in terms of the final score.

Simpson shot 45.2% from the field, but importantly, 83.3% from the free throw line, continuing its excellent start to the season from the line. A large contributor of the Storm's success has also been to limit turnovers, only committing three tonight. The Storm have committed less than 10 turnovers in all four games to start the year.

Up Next
The Storm will look to keep their unbeaten streak alive by taking on Loras at home, next Tuesday, to open American Rivers Conference play. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip.