Simpson's second half rally falls short in loss to Nebraska Wesleyan

LINCOLN, Neb. - Simpson's second half rally fell short on Thursday night against the American Rivers Conference preseason favorite Nebraska Wesleyan.

The Storm (5-18, 2-12 A-R-C) were unable to stop the Prairie Wolves (17-5, 10-3 A-R-C) in the first half as NWU shot over 60 percent from the field. Simpson used an 18-to-6 run around halftime to cut the lead in half but was to complete the comeback attempt. Levi Gurwell continued his hot streak offensively, leading the Storm with 17 points, his fifth straight game with double-digits points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Nebraska Wesleyan opened the game on a 15-3 run spanning the first five minutes of action, and eventually the lead swelled to as many as 20.
• Despite Simpson hitting 5-of-12 from beyond the arc, Nebraska Wesleyan went 17-for-28 from the field to pace the first half.
• Simpson managed to pick up momentum right before half with a 3-pointer from Zay Howard, and three free throws from Gurwell.
• The Storm carried the momentum into the second half, going on an 18-to-6 run, fueled by six different players scoring during the stretch.
• Simpson managed to cut the lead by over half, getting the score down to 46-38 with 15:33 left in the second half.
• Despite the response, Nebraska Wesleyan managed to cool off the Storm's attack, and seal the game in the second half with a 13-0 run of their own.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

• Levi Gurwell - 17 points, 2 assists, 2 steals
• Michael Kasperbauer - 3 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
• Bo Huston - 12 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals
• Brogan Fuller - 9 points, 2 rebounds

UP NEXT

The Storm play their final road game of the season on Saturday, Feb. 15 against Loras. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. with live stats and video available on simpsonathletics.com