Storm snap skid with 86-58 victory over Franklin

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Simpson College women's basketball team snapped a five-game losing skid with an 86-58 victory over Franklin at the Music City Classic.

The Storm (3-7) ended the first half on a 10-0 run and outscored the Grizzlies 42-24 in the final 20 minutes for the 28-point win. Cassie Nash led the team with 20 points, while Haley Rasmussen finished with 19 and Dylan Holland added 12.

Nash scored 10 points in a back-and-forth opening frame that ended with Franklin (5-4) ahead 24-22. Simpson opened the second with seven straight points and Holland poured in six of her 12 first-half points in the final three minutes, including a pair of baskets during the Storm's 10-0 spurt that put them ahead by double-digits for good.

Rasmussen led the way for Simpson in the second half, scoring 14 of her 19 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field including 2-for-2 from deep. She sank a free throw with 8:34 left in the game to give her team a 62-48 lead and the Storm doubled their advantage with an 18-4 run over the course of the next six minutes. Maddax DeVault and Elise Boulton capped things off with a pair of triples on Simpson's final two possessions.

Simpson shot 50.0 percent from the floor for the second time this season, making 33 of 66 field goal attempts including 7 of 17 from distance. The Storm outscored the Grizzlies 52-30 in the paint and scored 20 points off Franklin's 22 turnovers. Of Simpson's 10 steals, Nash accounted for seven.

Thirteen of 14 players that saw action for Simpson contributed a rebound, while 10 handed out at least one assist. Nash and Holland recorded six rebounds apiece to lead the squad, while Anna Wanek tallied a team-high four assists.

Up Next
Simpson returns to the court in a little over a week at the Wartburg Classic. The Storm are set to face Bethany Lutheran on Dec. 29 and Northwestern (Minn.) on Dec. 30.