Storm unable to keep pace with Wartburg’s hot shooting

INDIANOLA, Iowa - The Simpson College men's basketball team fell victim to an extremely hot-shooting Wartburg team, falling by a score of 81-74, Saturday, at Cowles Fieldhouse.

The Storm (11-8, 4-7 A-R-C) could not complete a season sweep of the Knights (9-10,6-4 A-R-C), needing to pick up some wins down the stretch to qualify for the American Rivers Conference Tournament. Despite limiting leading scorer Jack Molstead to eight points, the Knights got key contributions elsewhere to hold off the Storm.

Wartburg started extremely hot, building a 12-3 lead in less than three minutes, with six points coming from Marshun Williams. However, the Storm went on a 20-7 run over the next nine and a half minutes to claim a four-point advantage, with the Caden duo of Caden Rehmeier and Caden McGuire both providing sparks off the bench.

Senior Andrew Curran nailed a three-pointer to put the Storm up 29-26, before Wartburg's Codey Hicks answered, but then the first half seemed to turn a couple possessions later. Easton Darling got free from beyond the three-point line, but there was no foul call despite Darling being contacted and falling right near the Wartburg bench. The play led to a runout for the Knights, putting them up 30-29, despite Storm protests during a called timeout.

The Knights then finished the half on a 15-4 run led by Drew Olson and Hicks. Olson, who did not play in Simpson's win at Wartburg, had 15 first half points with three triples. Hicks, the conference leader in field goal percentage, made six of seven shots in the first half as the Knights led by 12, 45-33, at the break, while shooting a blistering 71.1 percent.

The Storm made a bright start to the second half, cutting the lead to eight with a free throw attempt coming. After the miss, the Knights went on a 8-0 run in 90 seconds, with back-to-back triples made by Keagan John. If it was Hicks and Olson in the first half, the Storm had problems with John in the second half, as he had 12.

Down by as many as 19, the Storm cut it to 10 with five minutes to go. Despite Wartburg's hot shooting from the field, the Knights kept the door slightly open with awful free-throw shooting, making zero of their nine attempts. However, the Knights got enough stops and scores to close the game out.

The Storm shot 43.3 percent from the field, but shot below their season average from the three-point-line for the fourth straight game. Darling bounced back with a team-leading 16 points, while Trent Williamson poured in a career-high 15 points.

Up Next

The Storm get a week of rest before heading to Luther next Saturday in a crucial conference matchup.