Team effort
INDIANOLA – The Simpson women's basketball team has weapons, and it uses them all.
Currently riding a 16-game winning streak, the Storm boast the second-highest scoring offense in the nation, putting up nearly 83 points per game while winning by an average of more than 23.
Yet, when you look at Simpson's statistics, no one player stands out. Only junior center Stacey Schutjer – a First Team All-Iowa Conference selection a year ago – averages double figures.
But 24th-year head coach Brian Niemuth prefers it that way.
"We play 10-12 people a game," Niemuth said. "Out of those 12 people, we have nine legitimate scorers. [Opposing] teams can't shut down one or two players and shut our team down. There is always someone else to pick up the slack."
Niemuth's system is predicated on full-court, pressure defense and an up-tempo offense. Substitutions are frequent and playing time is evenly distributed, as 10 players log 15 minutes or more.
With the number of weapons the Storm have at their disposal, scoring is spread throughout the lineup. Schutjer leads the team at 12.4 points per game, followed by senior guard Amy Hamilton at 9.8. In all, nine players average between five and 10 points and 11 different players have led the team in scoring throughout the year.
"Our girls have to make sacrifices to play this way," Niemuth said. "When we are winning and they see what's happening with their sacrifices, it makes it worthwhile to them. They could play in a different system, take more shots and score more points, but lose more games. I make sure they understand it's what's best for the team."
Winning is all Simpson has done since Nov. 27, when it began the current streak with a 96-78 win over Iowa Wesleyan at the Buena Vista Classic in Storm Lake. The day before, on Nov. 26, Simpson fell to 1-3 after a 78-60 loss against UW-Stevens Point, currently 18-2 and ranked No. 6 in the nation.
Since then, Simpson has failed to reach 70 points only twice and eclipsed 100 three times, including setting a program record for points in a game with 130 against Crown on Dec. 10. Simpson owns a perfect 11-0 record in the Iowa Conference and is 17-3 overall.
Their perfect conference record will be put to the test this weekend, when nationally-ranked Coe visits Cowles Fieldhouse on Saturday, Feb. 5 in a 2 p.m. tipoff. Simpson handed the Kohawks (18-2, 10-1 IIAC) their only conference loss of the season Dec. 4, a 78-63 triumph in Cedar Rapids.
Coe enters the game ranked No. 25 in the D3hoops.com poll and No. 23 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches poll. Coe also debuts as the top-ranked team in the West Regional poll, released Wednesday.
Simpson is receiving votes in both national polls and sits two spots behind Coe in the regional rankings at No. 3.
"They are a great team," Niemuth said. "But I think we are a great team too."
Simpson is 3-1 against Coe dating back to last season, when the teams split their two games in the regular season and shared the Iowa Conference crown. Simpson beat Coe in the championship game of the Iowa Conference Tournament, earning a sixth-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Despite this year's success, Niemuth knows challenges lie ahead.
"We've got some work to do," Niemuth said. "We are playing well, but we can get a lot better. We have some tough games coming up, and we will be tested. But thus far when we've been tested we've responded well and gotten better."
A win Saturday would give Simpson a two-game edge on the Kohawks and put the Storm in the driver's seat for a fourth-straight conference title.
