Women’s basketball secures pivotal road win over Coe

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – In a game full of large scoring runs, the Simpson College women's basketball team came out victorious 69-56 in a pivotal road matchup against Coe.

The win evened the season series between the Storm and Kohawks after Coe outlasted Simpson in double overtime back on Dec. 3. The two squads are now in a three-way tie with Dubuque for fourth place in American Rivers Conference standings.

The Kohawks (13-5, 5-4 A-R-C) took an 8-5 lead just over five and a half minutes into the game, but the Storm responded with a big 15-0 run extending into the opening minute of the second quarter for a 20-8 advantage. Six players scored for Simpson during the stretch as Coe committed eight turnovers and the Storm went 6-for-9 from the floor and 2-for-2 at the line.

The Storm (10-8, 5-4 A-R-C) got into a bit of turnover trouble themselves shortly after and Coe regained the lead, 21-20, with a 13-0 spurt. Haley Rasmussen halted the momentum with a triple and scored five more points before the end of the half, aiding Simpson to a 30-27 edge at the break.

In the third quarter, each squad went on another scoring spree as the Storm scored the first 12 points of the frame followed by 10 unanswered by the home team. Once again, Rasmussen got Simpson back on track with a 3-pointer and the Storm led 45-37 with 5:16 left in the stanza. Tough defense and efficient shooting propelled the Storm to the win from there; Simpson knocked down 8 of 12 field goal attempts and 8 of 9 free throws in the final 14 minutes, while the Kohawks went 8-for-25 from the floor including 3-for-10 from deep.

Rasmussen knocked down a career-high five 3-pointers to lead the Storm for the second straight contest with 19 points on 70.0 percent shooting from the field. Cassie Nash (17 points, 9 assists) and Anna Wanek (11 points, 8 rebounds) each came close to double-doubles, and Dylan Holland (8) and Elle Street (7) combined for 15 points off the bench.

Simpson shot 51.0 percent overall, the second highest field goal efficiency of the season, and registered 18 assists on 26 baskets. The Storm also had a successful outing at the charity stripe, making 11 of 15 free throws as a unit led by Wanek and Nash who each were 5-for-6.

Up Next
Simpson faces the top two teams in A-R-C standings next week, traveling to Dubuque to play Loras on Wednesday before welcoming Wartburg to Cowles Fieldhouse on Saturday.