D3hoops.com, WBCA release new Top 25 polls
INDIANOLA, Iowa – On the heels of another perfect week in American Rivers Conference action, the Simpson College women's basketball team came in at No. 4 in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 poll and No. 7 in this week's Women's Basketball Coaches Association standings.
Last week, the Storm defeated Nebraska Wesleyan 94-54 and Dubuque 97-59 on the road to push their win streak to 11 games and improve to 14-1 overall and 6-0 in the conference. Simpson got out to fast starts in both games, outscoring the hosts 113-53 before halftime. The Storm shot 54.5 percent from the floor, 53.3 from behind the arc and 86.8 at the line while racking up 72 rebounds, 54 assists and 33 steals.
Cameron Kincaid, reigning A-R-C Player of the Week, led the team with 39 points, nine rebounds, four steals and three assists between the games, while Anna Wanek was close behind with 35 points, eight boards, three steals and an assist. Both reached career-high scoring over the week as Wanek tallied 19 against the Prairie Wolves and Kincaid had 26 against the Spartans. Jenna Taylor also averaged more than 15 points per game with 31 points to go with a team-high 13 rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block.
As a team, Simpson has the best free throw percentage (82.4) in all of NCAA Division III and the second-best field goal percentage (49.1) and three-point percentage (38.5) behind top-ranked Hope which is converting field goals at a 49.6 percent rate and as well as 39.9 percent of its three-pointers. The Storm also lead the division in assists (332) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.52), and are averaging 86.1 points per game to rank sixth.
Senior Kia Rasmussen (5.06) owns the best assist-to-turnover ratio in DIII and the third most assists (81), Kincaid comes in second in free throw percentage (95.0), and Cassie Nash ranks third in steals (53) and fourth in field goal percentage (61.5). Taylor is seventh overall in three-point percentage (45.7).
The weekly D3hoops.com poll is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, Sports Information Directors and media members from across the country, while the WBCA poll is decided by a committee of 10 head coaches representing each DIII region. In each poll, total points are awarded based on 25 points for first place through one point for 25th.
