Comeback run falls short as Simpson drops road test to Wartburg

WAVERLY, Iowa - Trailing by as many as 24 in the second half, Simpson nearly mounted a comeback before falling to Wartburg 74-66 on Wednesday night.

Simpson (8-9, 5-3 A-R-C) shot 23-for-69 (33.3 percent) from the field, and 9-for-31 (29.0 percent) beyond the arc. Levi Gurwell (21 points) and A-R-C player of the week Cam Henderson (16 points) combined for 37 points and six steals.Calix Cahill and Isaac Averill combined for 14 rebounds as the Storm ended with 44 boards with 11 assists, 11 steals and four blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Neither side found an edge in the first ten minutes of action with Cam Henderson leading the Storm by scoring 11 of the opening 16 points.
• Wartburg used an 11-0 run as Simpson went on a four and half minute scoring drought to open up a 13-point lead at halftime.
• The momentum for Wartburg continued into the second half as the Knights' lead pushed to 24 points with just 13:27 left on the clock.
• Simpson cut the lead in half with a 12-0 run of its own, highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Levi Gurwell.
• Wartburg's lead continued to dwindle over the final minutes of action as Simpson got the lead down to just five after a Marcus Haupert layup with 2:11 on the clock.
• However, Simpson was unable to complete the comeback as Wartburg sealed the game at the line in the final two minutes.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Cam Henderson - 16 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals
Levi Gurwell - 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals
Isaac Averill - 4 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists

UP NEXT

Simpson wraps up the road trip with a matchup against the A-R-C leader Loras on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 4 p.m.