Storm cannot match Duhawks’ second half outburst

DUBUQUE, Iowa - After a close first half, the Simpson men's basketball team was unable to slow down Loras to start the second half, falling to a score of 79-59, Wednesday, at Lillis Court.

The game started with an explosion of offense, featuring 18 combined points in the first four minutes. The Storm (11-7, 4-6 A-R-C) led 10-8 early featuring a three from Andrew Curran and four points from Chris Honz. The Duhawks (13-6, 7-3 A-R-C) responded with a 6-0 run, but Curran nailed his second triple of the game to answer.

From there, the Storm kept the pace, never trailing by more than six for the rest of the half. Curran nailed another three with under a minute to play, cutting the lead to 33-31, but Loras's Jared Pearson hit a jumper on the next possession, sending the Duhawks into the break with a four point advantage. The Storm did a great job on Ali Sabet, a top five scorer in the conference, allowing him to score just three points, but the Duhawks returned the favor, limiting Easton Darling to a scoreless half.

The Duhawks started the second half on a 12-2 run, getting contributions from others despite Sabet struggling. Overall, the Duhawks started the half on a 25-11 run, bringing their lead to as large as 20 points before Andrew Gibb's layup finally broke the run.

Gibb converted another and-one to cut the lead to 71-56, but Loras scored the next five over the next couple of minutes to ice the game and eventually close it out.

The Storm were held to just 33 percent from the field and 20 percent from beyond the arc, both season lows. Despite holding Loras to only 40 percent from the field and less than 30 percent from the three-point line, the Duhawks attempted 16 more shots due to winning the rebound battle 40-33 and only turning the ball over 10 times, compared to a season-high 17 from Simpson.

Gibb led the Storm in both points (16) and rebounds (six), making all eight of his free throws to extend his consecutive made free-throw streak.

Up Next

The Storm return home on Saturday to host Wartburg in a 4 p.m. tip.