Dominant second half lifts Storm to victory

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A dominant second-half display from the Simpson men's basketball team saw it defeat Stevenson 76-66 to claim an opening victory in the Daytona Beach Shootout.

The Storm (8-2, 2-1 A-R-C) and the Mustangs (6-3, 1-2 MAAC) played a tight first half, with neither team leading by more than five. Caden McGuire made a three-pointer to put the Storm up four midway through the first half, but the Mustangs responded with an 8-0 run to take back the lead.

Shortly after, the Mustangs went up by five after a three-pointer, but Simpson made a collective six free throws to close within two at halftime.

The Storm then do what they do best, dominate the second half. Andrew Gibb and Easton Darling each made three-pointers within the opening minute of the restart to go up by four. A layup from Buck Eagleburger pushed it to seven, but the Mustangs still fought, cutting back to two with around 14 minutes to play.

Sparked again by threes made by Gibb and Darling, the Storm embarked on a 17-5 run to take a 14-point lead, 63-49, with just under nine minutes to play. The Mustangs had one more run in them, cutting the lead to 67-61, but the Storm responded with a quick 9-0 run, spurred on by a three by Andrew Curran. The run put the Storm back up 15 with under two minutes to play, as the Mustangs eventually stopped fouling, letting time expire.

Darling led all scorers with 16 points, nailing four three-pointers. Gibb added 14 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Curran also was in double figures with 12. Chris Honz was close to a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The Storm outshot the Mustangs in all three areas, shooting 45 percent from the field, 44 percent from beyond the arc, and 72 percent from the free throw line.

The Storm will look to add another victory in the Sunshine State by taking on Muskingum at 4 p.m., tomorrow.