Dubuque’s hot shooting too much for Storm

INDIANOLA, Iowa - Dubuque's hot shooting proved to be too much for the Simpson College men's basketball team, as they fell, 86-74, Saturday, at Cowles Fieldhouse.

Down by as many as 18 in the first half, the Storm (11-4, 4-3 A-R-C) battled back to bring the deficit to just four multiple times, but the Spartans (11-5, 4-3 A-R-C) hit multiple timely threes that prevented the Storm from getting closer.

The Storm started out with a three by Andrew Curran on its first possession, but that would be the only lead it held for the game, as Dubuque raced out to a 26-9 advantage powered by Jaylin McCants and Sam KIlburg. McCants, who had 21 in the first half, routinely was able to finish strongly inside while Kilburg hit two triples during the opening run.

A credit to Simpson, they fought back to get back in the game. Down 37-19, the Storm closed on a 10-4 run to bring the game to just a 12-point margin. Chris Honz and Easton Darling made back-to-back buckets to give the Storm some life heading into halftime.

The first lift the Storm got out of the break was from Darling, who nailed a deep three while getting fouled, completing the rare four-point play to bring the Storm within 10. A few minutes later, a massive offensive rebound from Trent Williamson led to a pair of free throws for him, bringing the lead to four. As was the theme though, Dubuque made a big three to stretch the lead back to seven. On six separate occasions, the Storm got the lead to five or below, but Dubuque had a scoring possession five of those six times, including three triples.

The Storm's last attempt at a rally came up short after the Spartans knocked in enough free throws and got a couple stops. The Storm defended McCants, who had 35 points, better in the second half, but he ended up getting to the line more to help ice the game.

A silver lining for the Storm is that the offense still shot extremely well. The Storm shot 53.1% from the field, including 46.2% from beyond the arc. However, the Spartans were above 50% in each category and outrebounded the Storm, 32-24, leading to more opportunities. Darling continued his fine campaign, scoring 19 points, making eight of his 13 shots from the field. Andrew Gibb led the team in rebounds with six, while Honz added 13 points and five rebounds.

Up Next

The Storm begin a three-game road stand, beginning with a trip to Pella to take on Central next Wednesday.