Simpson cruises past Cornell behind Kitzman's 22

MOUNT VERNON, Iowa - Katie Kitzman (Gillman, Iowa/East Marshall) scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting and Simpson extended its winning streak to seven with a 78-51 win against Cornell Wednesday night in Mount Vernon.

Leading 36-30 at halftime, the Storm (16-3, 9-1 IIAC) put the game away with a 20-9 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Stacey Schutjer (Titonka, Iowa/Woden-Crystal Lake-Titonka) added 12 points and six rebounds and reserve Mindy Hutchcroft (Steamboat Rock, Iowa/AGWSR) contributed nine points for the Storm. The conference leader in assists and steals, point guard Darrina Bledsoe (Glendale, Ariz./Westview) contributed seven and four, respectively.

Camille Marie-Lidd paced the effort with 20 points for the Rams (7-12, 2-8 IIAC), who lost their fifth game in a row. Kristin Paczosa scored nine points and grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds.

Simpson never trailed in the contest, opening up a 14-2 lead in the first five minutes. A layup from Marie-Lidd tied the game at 16 before a deuce from reining Iowa Conference Athlete of the Week, Amy Hamilton (Ames, Iowa/Ames) sparked an 11-0 Simpson run.

Kitzman scored nine of the team's 20 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Simpson shot 43.5 percent from the field on the night, extending its lead to as much as 27 in the final period.

The Storm remains on the road for its next contest, traveling to Loras for a 2 p.m. tipoff Saturday. The Duhawks (10-8, 5-4 IIAC) weren't in action Wednesday.