Norris too much for Storm, men fall to Dubuque

DUBUQUE, Iowa - Andre Norris had 24 points, 17 rebounds and Dubuque beat the Simpson men's basketball team 74-60 on Saturday to take sole possession of first place in the Iowa Conference.

Sam Amsbaugh had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Storm (12-7, 5-3), who fell into a tie for second place with Loras.

Simpson trailed 46-43 with 10:55 to play before Dubuque pulled away with a 14-5 run. Zach Branch closed the run with a 3-pointer at the 5:25 mark to give the Spartans (13-6, 6-2) a 12-point lead.

Dillon Gretzky added 12 points and Austin Turner had 11 as Simpson saw a three-game winning streak come to a close.

Gretzky beat the first half buzzer with a layup and opened the second with a 3, pulling Simpson within 33-32. A free throw by DJ Dafney tied it at 34-all with 16:06 left before Jacob Mohlis hit back-to-back 3s, giving Dubuque the lead for good.

For the first time this season, the Storm committed more turnovers (13) than their opponent (9).

Up next: Simpson hosts Wartburg on Wednesday, Feb. 3. The Knights (11-8, 4-4) beat Buena Vista 88-60 on Saturday.