Women's basketball topples Coe in championship rematch

CEDAR RAPIDS - Mindy Hutchcroft and Stacey Schutjer scored 18 points each as Simpson picked up a convincing 78-63 road win against Coe on Saturday.

In a rematch of last year's Iowa Conference Tournament Championship, the Storm (3-3, 2-0 IIAC) got an early boost in the league standings with the win.

Hutchcroft's 18 points were a career-high for the junior, upping her average to 10 points per game. She went 6-for-15 from the field and hit a pair of three-pointers.

Schutjer continued her steady play in the post, scoring 12 of her 18 points in the second half as Simpson pulled away from last year's IIAC co-champions. In her last four games, the junior is averaging 16 points and has scored 18 three of the last four times out.

After a fast start by Coe, Simpson settled down midway through the first half. Trailing 19-17 with under eight minutes to go, Darrina Bledsoe's jumper sparked a 15-5 run that carried into intermission.

Another run to start the second period helped the Storm jump out to a 17-point lead. Coe never threatened throughout the remainder of the game and Simpson led by as much as 24.

Kayla Lincoln scored 14 points to lead the Kohawks (3-2, 1-1 IIAC), pulling down a game-high eight rebounds. Simpson forced the home team into 26 turnovers which resulted in 20 points.

Amy Hamilton went a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range on her way to 11 points. On the other end of the floor, she paced the defense with four steals. Ali Sokol added 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

After playing six of their first seven games away from home, the Storm open a three-game homestand Wednesday when Loras visits Cowles Fieldhouse. Tip off is set for 6 p.m.