WBB Preview: Simpson set to face nationally-ranked Wartburg

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Simpson women's basketball looks to upset No. 8/9 Wartburg for the second time this season on Saturday for a 2 p.m. contest in Waverly, Iowa.

The Storm (16-6, 8-5 A-R-C) fell to Coe, 84-75, for the second time this season on Wednesday. The Knights (19-3, 11-2 A-R-C) trounced Buena Vista, 95-59, at home on Wednesday for their fifth-straight win.

Fans can access the video stream via the American Rivers application on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV or by visiting SimpsonAthletics.com to find the video link.

GAME 23
Simpson (16-6, 8-5 A-R-C) at No. 9 Wartburg (19-3, 11-2 A-R-C)
Saturday, Feb. 15 | 2 p.m.
Levick Arena | Waverly, Iowa
Live Video | Live Stats

WARTBURG SERIES NOTES
The Storm triumphed over the Knights, 66-62, earlier in the season to end a nine-game drought in the series and win its 10th game in a row this year ... in the seven prior matchups against the Storm, the Knights had won by at least 14 points and claimed both meetings by 14.5 points last season ... Simpson dropped an 88-73 decision at home last year to Wartburg to snap a six-game winning streak in 2018-19.

RECENT RESULTS
Jan. 22, 2020 — W, 66-62 (Indianola)
Jan. 31, 2019 — L, 88-73 (Indianola)
Nov. 28, 2018 — L, 83-69 (Waverly)
Feb. 3, 2018 — L, 88-68 (Waverly)
Jan. 13, 2018 — L, 81-66 (Indianola)

ABOUT THE KNIGHTS
Wartburg and 14th-year head coach Bob Amsberry come into the contest ranked No. 8 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 Coaches Poll and No. 9 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll ... since losing to Simpson on Jan. 22, the Knights are on a five-game winning streak, beating every opponent by 20 or more points ... the offense is currently first in the league in scoring at 82.6 ppg as well as in shooting percentage at 49.0% ... the No. 1 ranked defense in the conference has held offenses at bay all year by allowing 59.5 points per contest ... Payton Draper is leading the way with 10.7 ppg and followed closely by Emma Gerdes at 10.4.

LAST TIME OUT
Simpson's second half rally fell short on Wednesday, losing to Coe 84-75 ... during the first 10 minutes of the game, the Storm were held to 4-for-15 shooting from the field ... Simpson brought the game to a five-point gap, but the visitors secured the win by making free throws down the stretch ... this was the lowest performance on the glass for Simpson since the team grabbed 21 against Wisconsin-La Crosse on Nov. 16, 2019 ... four starters reached double figures in the loss, led by Kia Rasmussen's career-high 21 points.

A-R-C STANDINGS
Loras and Wartburg both lead the A-R-C with just two losses ... Luther ranks third while Simpson and Coe are tied in fourth as both squads have five losses ... the top five squads have all clinched an A-R-C Tournament appearance ... Central comes in at sixth at 5-9 and Dubuque follows in seventh at 3-9, as both teams are still vying for a spot in the league tournament ... Nebraska Wesleyan follows in eighth and Buena Vista rounds out the league standings.

STORM NOTES
• Simpson in the national rankings:

1st — 3-point shooting (39.6%)
3rd — field goal percentage (47.2%)
5th — scoring offense (81.5 ppg)
9th — total points (1,792)
11th — 3-pointers made (206), 3-pointers made per game (9.3)
17th — assists (372)
18th — free throw percentage (75.0%)
20th — assists per game (16.9)
26th — steals (279)

• Storm in the national rankings:

Kia Rasmussen — first in 3-point percentage (50.5%)
Cassie Chubb — 10th in 3-point percentage (45.5%)
Cameron Kincaid — 28th in free throw percentage (85.5%)
Claire Johnson — 20th in assists (110), 28th in assists per game (5.0)

• Simpson is second in the conference in field goal percentage at 47.2% and in scoring offense by averaging 81.5 ppg.
• All five starters are averaging double figures for scoring with Cassie Chubb at the top with 12.1 ppg. Kia Rasmussen is second with 12.0 and Cassie Nash in third (11.5), followed by Cameron Kincaid (11.2), and Claire Johnson rounds out the starters at 10.6.
• Jenna Taylor is six points away from hitting the 900 point plateau in her career. The senior has needed 68 games to get to this point after starting two full seasons. Taylor is averaging 13.1 points per outing in her career.
• Simpson snapped its winning streak of 11 games on Jan. 29 for its longest since winning 13 in a row during the 2012-13 season.
• Head coach Brian Niemuth earned his 600th career victory on Dec. 21 in a 76-69 victory over Millikin. Niemuth became the ninth active women's basketball head coach in the NCAA Division III to hit the 600-win plateau.

UP NEXT
The Storm return home to face Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.