Simpson's NCAA run ends with loss to Illinois Wesleyan

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Simpson's run in the 2010 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship came to an end Saturday night, as No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan defeated the Storm 83-53 at Shirk Center.

A day after knocking off No. 19 Chicago, the Storm (23-6) couldn't muster the magic necessary to come away with a second-straight upset.

Hope Schulte led all scorers with 22 points on 8 of 11 shooting. Christina Solari added 14 points and seven rebounds for the Titans (28-1), who will advance to the Sweet 16 to play Wisconsin-Stevens Point next weekend.

"As far as the total package goes, Illinois Wesleyan is the best team we've faced this season," Simpson head coach Brian Niemuth said. "I think that team has what it takes to win a national championship."

Unsure whether she would play after aggravating a sore ankle Friday night, senior Katie Kitzman (Gilman, Iowa/East Marshall) turned in the kind of gutsy effort Simpson prided itself all season. She tied a team-high with 11 points and brought down seven rebounds.

"We did a nice job of playing hard all year," Niemuth said. "We don't have the athletes or the size that teams like Illinois Wesleyan have – we survive on playing hard and playing with a lot of heart. There isn't a player on our squad that doesn't give 100 percent when they're on the floor."

Sophomore center Stacey Schutjer (Titonka, Iowa/Woden-Crystal Lake-Titonka) had 11 points and Ali Sokol (Urbandale, Iowa/Urbandale) scored nine points and pulled down eight rebounds in a reserve role.

Playing in front of its home crowd, Illinois Wesleyan built a 32-16 first-half lead thanks to a defense which held the Storm to 5-for-24 shooting from the field.

The Storm offense settled down in the second half, more than doubling its shooting percentage.

But Illinois Wesleyan's offense picked up as well. The Titans shot better than 55 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, hitting 7 of 10 3-pointers on their way to a 51-point period.

Entering the season with a number of question marks after losing four starters from last year's Iowa Conference Championship team, the Storm erased those doubts with a third-straight league title and a sixth-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

"I'm thrilled [about how our season went]," Niemuth said. "We lost seven seniors last year and this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. To go 23-6 and make it to the second round is phenomenal for us."

Simpson loses four seniors to graduation after this season. The careers of Kitzman, Emily Smith (Ogden, Iowa/Ogden), Alicia Fischer (Minden, Iowa/Tri-Center) and Whitney Oviatt (Carnation, Wash./Cedar Crest) came to an end Saturday. Smith scored six points Saturday while Fischer added five.