Early run lifts No. 6 Simpson past Eagles

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- The No. 6 Simpson College women's basketball team got back into the win column with a 70-56 win over Wisconsin-La Crosse on Saturday afternoon to close out the Gundersen Hotel & Suites Thanksgiving Classic.

At the conclusion of the weekend, Jenna Taylor was named to the All-Tournament Team for her performance across the two games. She tallied 37 points highlighted by seven three-pointers and had nine rebounds in each contest.

The Storm (4-1) distanced themselves early as a 13-0 run midway through the first quarter put Simpson up 15-3. Cameron Kincaid scored five during the spurt, while Taylor and Cassie Nash each had three points and Anna Wanek posted two. Simpson held La Crosse (6-2) to just eight points in the first as the frame ended with the Storm ahead 17-8.

The Eagles pulled within six to start the second frame, but Simpson responded with seven unanswered fueled by five points from Kincaid to lead 24-11. The senior finished her 14-point half with a pair of free throws that gave the Storm a 35-22 halftime lead.

The two teams were nearly identical in the second half but Simpson earned a slim advantage in the third quarter to outscore the Eagles 35-34 in the final 20 minutes. The Storm led by double-digits for all but 34 seconds of the half and were led by Wanek who tallied 12 of her career-high 16 points.

Kincaid finished the night with 18 points, making 6-of-13 shots from the floor and all five of her free throws. Wanek had 16 points and five boards, and Taylor tallied nine rebounds for the second-straight game to go with 10 points. Kia Rasmussen led the team with five assists and Cassie Nash had seven points, four rebounds and three steals.

Up Next
Simpson returns to Wisconsin on Nov. 30 to take on Wisconsin-Superior at 5 p.m.

Gundersen Hotel & Suites Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team
Emma Klein, Edgewood
Jenna Taylor, Simpson
Courtney Crouch, UW-Eau Claire
Jessie Ruden, UW-Eau Claire
Emma Gamoke, UW-La Crosse