Lutmer’s 37 points power Storm to thrilling Senior Day overtime victory

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Molly Lutmer erupted for 37 points, Haley Rasmussen and Elle Street combined for 34 more, and the Simpson College women's basketball team picked up a crucial win in American Rivers Conference play on Senior Day, defeating Luther 88-83 in overtime.

A clutch 3-pointer by Maddax DeVault gave Simpson (12-10, 8-5 A-R-C) a 43-38 lead at the break, but Luther (14-8, 7-6 A-R-C) finished the third quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 54-51 advantage into the final 10 minutes. The back-and-forth battle continued into the final moments of regulation, which ended with both teams tied at 71.

Continuing her dominant performance, Lutmer scored the first nine points for the Storm in overtime, putting Simpson ahead by two possessions with 36 seconds left. Rasmussen and Street closed out the game from there, shooting 8-for-10 from the line.

FULL BREAKDOWN

• Haley Rasmussen and Molly Lutmer combined for five 3-pointers in the opening quarter to aid Simpson to a 23-22 edge.
• Luther claimed a 36-33 advantage with 3:46 left in the first half, but the Storm finished strong on a 11-2 run capped off by a 3-point basket from Maddax DeVault with five ticks left on the clock.
• Molly Lutmer scored all six of Simpson's first points of the second half, but the Storm went cold from the field and trailed 54-51 at the end of three periods.
• Elle Street and Rasmussen opened the fourth with a pair of 3-pointers, and another long-range make from Lutmer put the Storm ahead 67-62 with 5:15 left in regulation. However, the Norse embarked on a 7-0 run to go ahead 69-67 and managed to tie the game at 71-71 after back-to-back jumpers by Lutmer.
• Lutmer stayed hot in the overtime period, scoring nine straight points for the home team. Street followed with a pair of free throws to give Simpson a more comfortable lead, and the Storm held on for the win.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS

• Molly Lutmer: 37 points, 8 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists
• Haley Rasmussen: 19 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
• Elle Street: 15 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
• Ella Anderson: 2 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
• Morgan Pietig: 5 points, 4 rebounds

NOTES

• Simpson levels the season series with the Norse and now sits in third place in conference standings with three games to go.
• Molly Lutmer's 37 points is the third-highest single game total in program history. Her scoring output is the most since Kerri Karsten poured in 39 against Loras on Jan. 12, 1996.
• Lutmer is 60 points away from joining teammate Haley Rasmussen in Simpson's 1,000-point club. She also surpassed Janey Botkins tonight for fourth all-time with 177 made 3-pointers.
• Rasmussen now ranks 15th all-time in career scoring with 1,088 points. She is tied with Botkins for fifth position in career 3-pointers (175).

UP NEXT
Simpson has three more regular season matches on tap, with two road games happening next week. The Storm travel to Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday and Loras on Saturday.