Simpson comeback falls short against UW-Eau Claire

CHICAGO – A furious rally in the final minutes came up short as the Simpson women's basketball team lost to No. 18 UW-Eau Claire 69-61 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship on Friday.

Trailing by 12 with 4 minutes left in the game, Kelsie Reeves knocked down a 3-pointer followed by back-to-back treys by Chelsie Rohrs as Simpson pulled within 63-60 with 2:01 left.

But Simpson couldn't capitalize on its next two possessions and Eau Claire hit enough free throws down the stretch to hold on for the win.

Ellen Plendl, a 6-5 center, scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Blugolds (21-6). Callie Halama had 19 points and Plendl added six blocked shots.

Rohrs scored 13 points on 4 of 9 shooting from 3-point range. Stacey Schutjer added a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double and Ali Sokol finished with nine points and eight rebounds for the Storm (21-7).

Eau Claire led by as much as 14 in the second half before Simpson rallied behind its 3-point shooters. The Storm went 12-for-33 from beyond the arc compared to 9-for-36 from inside the arc.

Schutjer closed her career with 1,388 points, sixth on Simpson's all-time list. Her 712 rebounds rank third.