Simpson splits season series in loss at Wartburg

WAVERLY, Iowa -- The Simpson women's basketball team aimed for the season sweep of No. 8/9 Wartburg on Saturday, but came up short in a 102-62 contest on the road.

The Storm (16-7, 8-6 A-R-C) owned a 38-33 rebounding edge, but shot just 35.1% from the floor for a season low. The Knights (20-3, 12-2 A-R-C) produced a 56.3% clip to go along with 25 assists, as Simpson dished out just five.

In the first five minutes of the game, the Storm looked poised for another upset of Wartburg with a 14-10 lead, powered by six points from Kia Rasmussen. The thought quickly vanished as the Knights went on a 16-0 run to close out the first stanza with a 26-14 tilt. The offense went cold for Simpson during the drought with three misses from the field and three turnovers, while the hosts went 6-for-9.

The Storm fought back with a 13-5 spurt in the second to bring the contest to within six at 39-33. Cameron Kincaid ended the half with a pair of free throws to place the American Rivers Conference contest at 42-35.

Wartburg was on fire in the third quarter to outscore Simpson, 43-13, on 14-for-17 shooting to pull away for its sixth-straight triumph. The Knights ended the period with eight triples, one more than the Storm made all outing. After a 20-4 run helped balloon the lead, Wartburg went into the final frame with an 85-43 advantage.

Both teams shot below 40% in the fourth, with Simpson making just three shots, but was aided by six makes at the charity stripe.

Kincaid paced the team with 16 points and Rasmussen added four triples to end with 14 points to help the cause. The Knights had four players end in double figures.

Up Next
The Storm look to stop a two-game losing skid with a 5:30 p.m contest at home against Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday.