Storm drop narrow, high-scoring affair

MANKOTA, Minn. – The Simpson College men's basketball team dropped a close, but high-scoring affair in the team's first road test of the season at undefeated Bethany Lutheran, Wednesday.

The Vikings (6-0) came into the game unbeaten, but the Storm (5-2, 0-1 A-R-C) gave the Vikings their best effort, coming up narrowly shy in the final seconds. Easton Darling scored 22 points for the Storm, tied for the game-high, while Chris Honz had his best scoring output of the year, pouring in 21.

After a relatively mediocre shooting start for both squads, Caden Rehmeier came up off the bench and ignited the game into high gear, nailing three triples and another mid-range jumper that gave the Storm a six-point advantage on multiple occasions. Despite the Vikings picking up multiple early fouls, their offense also started to improve, embarking on a stretch where they hit six of eight shots.

The Vikings stormed back to close the half on a 29-14 run, where they led by as many as 11 before a pair of free throws from Andrew Gibb made the score 48-39 at the halftime break.

The halftime pause did nothing to slow the down offenses that picked up throughout the first half. The second half saw 108 points scored between the two sides, with both clubs shooting over 50% from the field in the half. As the Storm have done many times this season, the team used a big second half run to its advantage. Down 51-41, the Storm embarked on a 24-11 run, taking a 64-62 lead after a jumper from Andrew Curran.

The Vikings retook the lead, but the lead never grew by more than five points, with the two sides trading point for point in most situations. With the Storm down 91-86 late, two free throws each from Trent Williamson and Curran cut the lead to one with under two minutes remaining. However, the Storm could not get the stop they desperately needed, with the Vikings scoring on all but one of their final possessions.

Down four with under a minute to go, Curran nailed a huge three-pointer to get the Storm within one, but the Vikings' Xavier Patterson made a big layup to extend the lead back to three. Honz went one for two at the line at the other end, and Simpson fouled to put the Vikings in a one and one situation. The Vikings missed, but Darling's contested layup to tie the game narrowly missed, with the Vikings grabbing the board. The Storm had one final chance after another missed free throw, but couldn't get a shot off with barely any time remaining.

As bright spots, the Storm continue to protect the ball extremely well, only committing nine turnovers. Free throw shooting has also been a huge plus, as the Storm shot just under 80% on 29 attempts for the game. Gibb led the team in rebounds with eight to go along with his 14 points, while Darling dished out a team-high five assists.

Up Next
The Storm return to Indianola to host Coe on Saturday, at 4 p.m.