Storm survive scare in opener

DES MOINES, Iowa - Stacey Schutjer scored a game-high 22 points, Kate Nielsen posted a double-double and Simpson survived a furious second-half comeback in an 86-83 win over AIB College of Business on Tuesday night.

Coming off the bench, Nielsen scored 17 points, brought down 14 rebounds and made the play of the game for the Storm (1-0), who led by as much as 18 in the second half.

With the score tied 81-81 and under a minute left, Nielsen's 3-point play gave the Storm an 84-81 lead. Two free throws in the closing seconds by Jamie Elbert preserved the win.

Nessa McKinsey scored 20 points to lead the Eagles (3-2), who used a 14-0 run over a four-minute period in the second half to erase the nearly 20-point deficit.

The lead reached its peak when a layup by Nielsen gave Simpson a 65-47 lead with 13:41 left in the game. But a 3-pointer by Caitlin Hagarty sparked the run, which cut the lead to 65-61 with 9:19 to go.

Katira Young's layup with 3:31 left tied the game for the first time since the 15-minute mark in the first half. AIB took a 77-74 lead with 2:37 to go before Chelsie Rohrs answered with a game-tying 3-pointer on the next possession.

Two free throws by Cathy Kain tied the game at 81 and a steal by Nicole Crisp set up Nielsen's 3-point play.

Led by Nielsen, three Simpson players came off the bench to score double figures. Elbert had 13 on 3 of 4 shooting from beyond the arc and Crisp added 12. Kain chipped in with 10 and Rohrs had a team-high six assists.

Simpson returns to action this weekend when it travels to the Luther Classic in Decorah. Simpson plays UW-River Falls at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18 and closes against Bethany Lutheran on Saturday at 1 p.m.