Explosive first half, tenacious defense carries Simpson past Central

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Cassie Nash scored a season-high 23 points, Molly Lutmer buried six triples, and the Simpson College women's basketball team defeated Central 98-63 behind an explosive first half and tenacious defense.

The Storm (11-7, 6-3 A-R-C) broke a 14-14 tie with a 9-0 run fueled by seven points from Nash and led 63-33 at the break after a 30-3 run. Lutmer drained four of her six 3-pointers during that stretch as Simpson was 7-for-8 behind the arc in the second period.

Simpson's lead grew as high as 41 in the third quarter as Nash added eight more points to her total, all scored in less than one minute. The Storm shot over 20 percent better than the Dutch from the floor and forced 30 turnovers.

STORM STANDOUTS

• Cassie Nash: 23 points (9-11 FG), 5 steals, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
• Molly Lutmer: 22 points (6-8 3FG), 5 rebounds, 2 steals
• Haley Rasmussen: 13 points, 2 steals
• Maddax DeVault: 6 points, 6 steals
• Macy Gaskill: 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
• Elle Street: 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Simpson shot a season-best 56.5 percent overall compared to 33.3 percent shooting by the Dutch (9-10, 3-7 A-R-C).
• The Storm's press and tight defense wreaked havoc on the visitors throughout and led to 30 Central turnovers.
• Simpson outscored Central 54-22 in the paint, 36-9 in fastbreak points and 35-18 on points off turnovers.

NOTES

• With her 23 points, Cassie Nash tied Cindy Wood for sixth all-time in career scoring (1,443 points). She now has 22 career games with 20+ points.
• Haley Rasmussen extended her streak of having made at least one triple to 26 consecutive games, while also becoming the ninth Simpson women's basketball player to knock down 100 career triples.
• Molly Lutmer also surpassed 100 career 3-pointers with her fifth long-range make of the night, becoming the 10th player in school history to eclipse the century mark. 
• Simpson has won 45 consecutive games over the Dutch dating back to Jan. 11, 2003.
• Simpson's 63 first-half points are tied for the sixth most in a single half in team history.

UP NEXT
The Storm host No. 10/13 Wartburg inside Cowles FIeldhouse on Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.