Storm fall at Luther in conference play

DECORAH, Iowa - The Simpson College men's basketball team fell at Luther after being unable to find its offensive prowess on Saturday.

The Storm (11-9, 4-8 A-R-C) got off to a rough start, finding themselves down 8-0 after the first five minutes of the game. Easton Darling nailed a triple to put the Storm on the board, but the Norse (7-14, 4-9 A-R-C) responded with a 14-5 run to open up a 22-8 lead with eight and a half minutes left in the first half.

The Storm trailed at the break, in a half that simply saw the ball just not go down through the hoop. The Storm shot just 24 percent from the field and 14.3 percent from the 3-point line in the first half, with only four players accounting for all the team's points. The Storm outrebounded the Norse, but committed nine first-half turnovers, one of their more costly halves in that area on the season.

The second half opening was also more of an offensive struggle, this time for both teams. Neither team was able to get on the board until a Norse layup just over three minutes into the half gave them their largest lead. Caden Rehmeier finally broke the Storm's scoreless run with a jumper, but the Norse had stretched their lead further with a 9-2 run to open the half.

The Storm were unable to seriously threaten the lead of the Norse, despite starting down to knock some shots. The second half saw the shooting percentage rise, touching 40 percent, with the Storm getting more contributions across the roster. Andrew Gibb led the Storm with a double-double, collecting 14 points and 10 rebounds. The Storm won the overall rebounding battle, 39-38, but did not see enough shots go through to pull off a comeback.

Up Next
The Storm return to Cowles Fieldhouse to host Buena Vista on Wednesday at 7 p.m.