Second-half run fuels Simpson win over Central

 Postgame Interview - Head Coach, Brian Niemuth
 Highlights

INDIANOLA, Iowa - The Simpson women's basketball team used a 16-1, second-half run to turn a close game in the first half into a route in the second in a 94-71 over Central on Monday night.

Kate Nielsen scored 22 points off the bench to lead the Storm (12-4, 5-2 Iowa Conference), who won their third game in a row and extended their winning streak in the series to 21.

Simpson trailed by as much as nine in the first half but outscored Central 22-11 in the final six minutes to take a 40-38 lead into the break.

"They played with a lot more intensity than we did in the first half," head coach Brian Niemuth said. "They were getting on the floor after loose balls; they made all the effort plays we didn't, and that got our attention."

Jamie Elbert added 16 points off 4 of 6 shooting from beyond the arc and Cathy Kain chipped in with 12.

The story of the second half was Simpson's defense. The Storm increased the pressure, holding Central to 24 percent shooting after it shot 44 percent in the opening half.

"Our intensity was better in the second half," Niemuth said. "We buckled down and stopped giving them second shots. We also kept them from getting to the basket on the dribble drive."

Sarah Paulson scored 13 points and brought down 13 rebounds to lead the Dutch (5-11, 0-7), who out-rebounded Simpson 47-41.

Kate Nielsen sparked Simpson's run with a pair of layups, followed by three treys in a row from Elbert. Elbert's fourth 3 of the game gave Simpson a 69-49 lead with 9:33 left.

The Storm have little time to enjoy the win, as they travel to Dubuque on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. tipoff against Loras.