Simpson drops close contest to Wartburg in home finale

INDIANOLA, Iowa – The Simpson College women's basketball team led for much of the night, but couldn't overcome a late fourth quarter push in a tight loss to Wartburg on Wednesday.

Ella Anderson came out aggressive, scoring 13 of her game-high 16 points in the opening quarter to power Simpson (12-12, 8-7 A-R-C) to a 19-14 advantage. A 3-pointer from Lili Duckmann later stretched the lead to 27-21 with 5:50 remaining in the first half, keeping the Storm in control for much of the opening 20 minutes. Wartburg (19-6, 15-1 A-R-C) chipped away down the stretch of the second quarter, trimming the deficit to 31-29 at the break.

Simpson opened the third with a quick 6-1 run to push back in front 37-30, but the Knights gradually worked their way back into the game. The teams traded baskets throughout the period, and the score sat even at 44-44 heading into the fourth.

In the final quarter, Wartburg found its rhythm from beyond the arc, knocking down three 3-pointers to create separation. Simpson battled until the final seconds, but time ran out before the Storm could close the gap.

SIMPSON LEADERS

• Ella Anderson: 16 points, 5 rebounds
• Maddax DeVault: 15 points, 5 assists, 3 steals
• Taylor Hansen: 9 points, 3 rebounds
• Doryn Paup: 4 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals
• Keira McCormick: 2 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 blocks

UP NEXT
Simpson concludes its regular season with a road contest against Coe on Saturday at 2 p.m.