Storm battle tough at No. 7/8 Wartburg

WAVERLY, Iowa – The Simpson College women's basketball team erased a 12-point halftime deficit, but ultimately dropped an 83-72 decision to No. 7/8 Wartburg on the road.

The Storm (4-5, 2-2 A-R-C) trailed 41-29 at the halfway point of the contest, but used a 14-2 run in the opening minutes of the second half to tie the game at 43-all with just over 15 minutes left in the contest. All five of Simpson's starters contributed to the scoring run led by Dylan Holland with four points.

The score was tied again at 47-47 before Wartburg (9-0, 4-0 A-R-C), which ranks top 15 in the country with nearly nine 3-pointers per game, hit three within a span of two minutes to lead 59-53 at the end of the third. Haley Rasmussen scored 12 of her game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter, but the Knights went 11-for-12 at the free throw line to put the game away.

SIMPSON LEADERS

• Haley Rasmussen: 28 points, 2 assists
• Cassie Nash: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks
• Shaniah Temple: 8 points, 4 rebounds
• Dylan Holland: 7 points, 7 rebounds
• Macy Gaskill: 5 rebounds, 2 assists

NOTES

• Simpson still leads the all-time series with Wartburg by 20 wins, 57-37.
• Haley Rasmussen tied her career-high of 28 points, shooting 52.6 percent with 10 field goals for the second straight game. She has surpassed 20 points four times this season, contributing to a six-game streak of at least one Simpson player recording 20+ points.
• With her 18-point performance, Cassie Nash became the eighth player in Simpson women's basketball history to surpass 1300 career points. She is already the only player with 300+ steals and ranks fifth all-time with 307 career assists.

UP NEXT
The Storm return to action on Dec. 19 at the Cruizin' Classic in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.