Last-second shot falls short in loss to Dubuque

INDIANOLA, Iowa - Maddie Bosworth had her last-second 3-pointer blocked and Dubuque held off the Simpson women's basketball team 69-66 on Wednesday night at Cowles Fieldhouse.

MacKenzie Haupt had a game-high 20 points for the Storm (15-7, 5-6 Iowa Conference), who's upset bid fell short when Kayla Springer blocked Bosworth's game-tying attempt. Whitney Van Wyk had seven points and six rebounds and Katie Ahrenholtz had seven and six off the bench.

Jenna Kotas led four players in double figures with 16 points and six rebounds for the Spartans (15-7, 9-2), who swept the season series and remained atop the league standings. Emily Brinker contributed 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

The leading scorer for each team made big plays down the stretch. 

Despite sitting for much of the second half in foul trouble, Haupt hit a pair of clutch shots to give Simpson a four-point lead in the final minutes. Her foul-line jumper with 1:18 left gave Simpson a 66-62 lead.

But Kotas answered the very next possession, hitting a 3 from the top of the key to pull Dubuque within one. She gave the lead back to the Spartans on a layup with 26 seconds left.

Simpson ran a clear-out for Brittany Hedrick on the next possession and held the ball until the clock ticked under 5 seconds. Hedrick got to the hoop but missed a tough layup in traffic, prompting a foul.

Springer made a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds left, giving Simpson a chance to draw up a full-court play. Rachel Kaale inbounded the ball to half court where Van Wyk received the pass and hit a streaking Bosworth down the left sideline. Springer recovered to re-direct Bosworth's attempt.

UP NEXT

Simpson goes to Buena Vista on Saturday, Feb. 14. The Beavers (8-14, 3-8) beat Wartburg 85-73 on Wednesday.