WBB Preview: Simpson begins A-R-C Tournament play

INDIANOLA, Iowa -- Simpson will try to end a two-game losing skid against Coe on Tuesday in the first round of the American Rivers Conference Tournament. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Storm (18-7, 10-6 A-R-C) defeated Buena Vista, 76-56, to end the regular season with two-straight victories on Saturday. The Kohawks (10-6, 15-10 A-R-C) are coming off a tough, 79-72, loss to Luther on the road.

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 26
Simpson (18-7, 10-6 A-R-C) at Coe (15-10, 10-6 A-R-C)
Tuesday, Feb. 25 | 7 p.m.
Kohawk Arena | Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Live Video | Live Stats

COE SERIES NOTES
Simpson and Coe meet for the 62nd time in a series that dates back to the 1977-78 season ... the Storm own a 46-15 lead in the all-time series, but the Kohawks are on a two-game winning streak ... in the last matchup, Coe claimed the season sweep with an 84-75 victory inside Cowles Fieldhouse ... since losing four in a row to Coe from 2013-15, Simpson has only lost five times to the Kohawks since then.

RECENT RESULTS
Feb. 12, 2020 — L, 84-75 (Indianola)
Dec. 4, 2019 — L, 71-61 (Cedar Rapids)
Feb. 16, 2019 — W, 78-76 (Cedar Rapids)
Jan. 19, 2019 — W, 78-73 (Indianola)
Feb. 20, 2018 — W, 90-85 (Cedar Rapids)

ABOUT THE KOHAWKS
Coe and third-year head coach Kayla Waskow come into the contest with a 15-10 record and are the fourth seed in this year's league tourney ... the Kohawks are entering the playoffs after a 79-72 loss against Luther on Saturday ... the defense has been the backbone to the team's success this year and is second in the conference in scoring allowed at 61.9 ... the offense is second to last in scoring at 66.3 ... Jackie Feldt leads the team in scoring and is fourth in the conference with 15.2 points per contest

LAST TIME OUT
Simpson ended the regular season with a two-game winning streak, triumphing over Buena Vista, 76-56, on Saturday ... a slow start for the Storm allowed the Beavers to stay within four after the first quarter ... a 28-point second stanza allowed Simpson to pull away to a victory ... this is the second time all season the Storm did not make over seven triples as the offense ended with five treys ... Cassie Chubb led the Storm with 14 points and Cassie Nash and Cameron Kincaid followed, both scoring 12 points ... the starters were able to rest a bit as 15 players saw action.

A-R-C TOURNAMENT
Wartburg comes into the A-R-C Tournament as the top seed, and Loras follows in second ... Luther (3), Coe (4), Simpson (5), and Central (6) round out the rest of the tournament field ... aside from the Storm and Kohawks meeting, the Norse and Dutch compete against one another in the opening round ... the Knights await the winner of Simpson and Coe, while the Duhawks will host either Luther or Central.

STORM NOTES
• Simpson in the national rankings (last updated 2/21/20):

1st — 3-point shooting (38.4%) 
3rd — field goal percentage (47.3%)
4th — scoring offense (81.6 ppg)
5th — total points (2,039)
10th — 3-pointers made (229)
13th — 3-pointers made per game (9.2)
15th — free throw percentage (74.7%)
22nd — assists (421)
24th — assists per game (16.8)
27th — steals (315)

• Storm in the national rankings (last updated 2/21/20):

Kia Rasmussen — first in 3-point percentage (50.0%)
Cassie Chubb — 8th in 3-point percentage (45.8%)
Claire Johnson — 20th in assists (123), 27th in assists per game (4.9)

• Simpson is second in the conference in field goal percentage at 47.3% and third in scoring offense by averaging 81.6 ppg.
• All five starters are averaging double figures for scoring with Cassie Chubb at the top with 12.0 ppg. Kia Rasmussen and Cameron Kincaid are tied for second (11.7), followed by Cassie Nash (11.3), and Claire Johnson rounds out the starters at 10.1.
• 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 winner of this contest will travel to take on top-seeded Wartburg on Thursday at 7 p.m.