Simpson defeats Coe, captures IIAC Championship

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Darrina Bledsoe picked the perfect time to have the best offensive performance of her career.

The junior from Glendale, Ariz. scored a career-high 15 points in leading second-seeded Simpson to its third consecutive Iowa Conference Tournament Championship with a 65-61 win against top-seeded Coe at Eby Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon.

With the win, the Storm (22-5) earn the Iowa Conference's automatic bid to the 2010 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship, which begins March 5. The tournament's selection show will be webcast on NCAA.com Monday, March 1 at 11:30 a.m. CST.

The tournament championship is the sixth in program history as the team makes its sixth-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Averaging a little more than three points per game entering the day, Bledsoe went 6-for-10 from the field and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers. Her biggest shot came with 30 seconds left, when she converted a driving layup that gave Simpson a 61-58 lead.

After a slow first half, Katie Kitzman (Gillman, Iowa/East Marshall) came on in the final 20 minutes, scoring nine of her 12 points in the period. Simpson's leading scorer, Stacy Schutjer (Titonka, Iowa/WCLT) was held to five points but pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.

Kayla Lincoln scored a game-high 18 points for the Kohawks (19-8), knocking down 4 of 7 3-point attempts in the second half. Leslie Ware and Kayla Wascow each added 14 points.

The Storm took a 27-20 lead into the locker room at halftime, thanks to a great play by Kitzman to end the half. As time experied, Kitzman connected on a jumper and drew a foul, completing the three-point play with no time on the clock.

Simpson began the second-half on an 11-7 run in the first five minutes, opening up its largest lead of the game at 38-27.

After Amy Hamilton (Ames, Iowa/Ames) nailed a trey to put Simpson up by 10 with 11:30 to go, Coe crept back into the contest. With Simpson leading 59-52 after a pair of Hamilton free throws, Lincoln knocked down back-to-back triples to bring the Kohawks within a point with just over a minute left.

Bledsoe's layup with the shot clock running down gave Simpson a three-point advantage. Kitzman and Mindy Hutchcroft (Steamboat Rock, Iowa/AGWSR) each went 2-for-2 from the free throw line in the last 20 seconds to seal the win.