No. 15/19 Duhawks slip past Storm

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Molly Lutmer and Cassie Nash each scored 21 points, but No. 15/19 Loras withstood a second half rally to defeat the Simpson College women's basketball team 83-75 on Monday.

The Storm (12-10, 7-6 A-R-C) trailed by as many as 17 in the first half but never gave up and eventually closed the gap to two late in the fourth after six points from Cassie Nash and back-to-back triples by Molly Lutmer and Morgan Pietig. Lutmer hit a jumper to make the score 77-75 with 2:08 remaining, but the Duhawks (18-3, 10-2 A-R-C) stayed composed and closed out the win with six points and a steal from Sami Martin.

Nash and Lutmer combined for over half of Simpson's scoring for the second game in a row, each tallying 21 points. With her fourth point of the night, Nash became the fifth Simpson women's basketball player to eclipse 1,500 career points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Duhawks came out red hot, scoring 31 points in the first quarter behind 68.4 percent shooting. Loras was 5 of 8 from distance in the period.
• Simpson rallied with a 14-6 run to trim the deficit to eight, 37-29, before outscoring the hosts 6-2 in the final two minutes of the half to stay within striking distance.
• The Storm pulled within six after a Morgan Pietig triple midway through the third quarter. Maddax DeVault and Cassie Nash teamed up to score Simpson's final seven points of the frame, but Loras still clung to a 66-59 lead at the end of the period.
• Three consecutive layups by Nash followed by 3-pointers from Molly Lutmer and Pietig sliced the Loras lead to 75-73 with just over three minutes to play, the closest margin since the opening minute of the game.
• The two teams traded buckets on the next two possessions, but Loras shut the door from there as Sami Martin scored the final six points of the night.

SIMPSON LEADERS

• Cassie Nash: 21 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
• Molly Lutmer: 21 points (5-9 3FG), 5 rebounds, 2 steals
• Haley Rasmussen: 10 points, 3 rebounds
• Maddax DeVault: 6 points (3-5 FG)
• Morgan Pietig: 6 points, 2 rebounds

NOTES

• With her first basket of the second quarter, Cassie Nash became the fifth Simpson women's basketball player to reach 1,500 career points. She joins Laurie Sankey (1,973), Annette Christensen (1,692), Jenna Taylor (1,647) and Katelyn Whiton (1,592).
• Molly Lutmer now has six games with at least five 3-pointers this season, including four since Jan. 20.
• Nash has now surpassed 20 points 24 times in her career. 

UP NEXT
The Storm continue their busy week with a home contest against Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m.