Vital second half run propels Storm to road win over Wartburg

WAVERLY, Iowa - The Simpson men's basketball team used a 17-2 run in the second half that propelled them to a massive early-season conference victory at Wartburg, 79-67, Saturday, at Levick Arena.

It was the first Storm (7-2, 2-1 A-R-C) victory at Wartburg since the 2019-20 season. Andrew Curran led the Storm in points with 19, while Andrew Gibb scored 16 and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for his first career double-double. The Storm continued to be excellent from the free throw line, only missing three attempts out of 23 attempts.

The game was an ugly start for both teams, with each team missing their first six shots. From there, the Storm settled in and took control of the early portion of the game, racing out to a 19-10 lead off the back of two three pointers each from Gibb and Easton Darling.

The Storm led for basically the entire first half, until a three pointer put the Knights (3-6, 1-2 A-R-C) back level at 30 a piece. A couple more baskets from Wartburg that included a three from Jack Molstead gave Wartburg a five-point advantage but Curran drilled a mid-range jumper to cut the lead to three. Wartburg closed the half on a 14-6 run that wiped away the advantage for the Storm in a half they controlled.

The two squads started the second half trading buckets, but a few minutes into the half, the Knights opened up a ten point lead at 53-43 after a three from Molstead and were threatening to pull away. Simpson responded with a tough and-one converted by Curran plus a pair of free throws from Gibb. The Storm then geared up for a patented game-changing second half run, down seven at 55-48.

The run was sparked offensively by Gibb, but he was joined off the bench by Caden Rehmeier and Caden McGuire. Gibb made another four free throws to kickstart the run, with Rehmeier and McGuire both hitting three-pointers that saw the Knights lead evaporate on almost every possession. McGuire, who hit all three of his three pointers in the game, added another layup and three as the Storm opened up a 65-57 lead.

Wartburg did not go away quietly though, cutting the lead back to four. Curran nailed a pair of free throws, before a critical turnover led to another Wartburg foul and another trip to the line for the Storm, where Darling coolly sunk another two shots. Molstead, who led all scorers with 21 points, hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to five at 71-66 with under three minutes to play. After a couple empty possessions, Curran hit the biggest shot of the night, a three-pointer with around 90 seconds left to stretch the Storm lead to eight, proving to be the dagger.

The Storm calmly sunk remaining free throws and walked out deserved winners, outshooting the Knights in all three facets. Darling, who also had 15 points, added a team-high four assists. The Storm shot 45.3% from the field and 42.3% from behind the arc. Simpson now ranks first in the conference in three-point percentage and second in overall field goal and free throw percentage.

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The Storm will now prepare for a trip to Florida. The squad will participate in the 2022 Daytona Beach Shootout, playing Stevenson on Dec. 19 and Muskingum on Dec. 20.