Simpson shoots lights out, advances to A-R-C Semifinals

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson College women's basketball team rode red-hot shooting to a 95-70 victory over Dubuque in the first round of the American Rivers Conference Tournament on Tuesday.

The Storm (16-10, 10-6 A-R-C) advance to the semifinals with the win and will take on No. 2 seed Loras Thursday night in Dubuque for a chance to make it to their third straight championship game.

The two teams combined for 46 points in a high-scoring first quarter that saw both squads shoot better than 62 percent from the floor. Simpson, which led 25-21 after one, widened the gap to 23 at halftime by forcing 11 second quarter turnovers and making 14 of 20 field goals led by Cassie Nash who converted 6 of 7. She also added four assists and five steals during the frame, finishing the first half with 22 points, six steals and five assists.

The Storm's largest lead came with four and a half minutes to play when Elle Street grabbed a rebound and went coast-to-coast to make the score 89-58. A few minutes prior, Molly Lutmer and Anna Wanek sank 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to ignite a 13-4 run.

Simpson shot 63.3 percent overall, the fourth best accuracy in program history. The Storm connected on 38 of 60 field goals including 13 of 27 for a season-best 48.1 percent from deep.

Lutmer attempted four 3-pointers in each half and was nearly perfect on the night, knocking down all but one try for 23 points. Her seven triples are the most by a Simpson player since assistant coach Jenna Taylor had seven at Loras exactly three years ago today.

Nash tied her season high of 26 points and had six steals, giving her six games in a row with at least five. She also notched her fifth straight game with 5+ assists.

Street recorded an impressive stat line of her own with eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals. Rasmussen and Dylan Holland also had eight points each, and Holland led the team with six rebounds.

Dubuque ends its season with a 13-13 overall record. The Spartans were led by Tabria Thomas and Morgan Hawkins with 18 and 14 points, respectively.  

Up Next
Simpson continues its tournament run with a road game against No. 2 seed Loras on Thursday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. in Dubuque.