Simpson unable to sustain early offense in loss to Luther

DECORAH, Iowa – Ella Anderson registered another double-double in league play, but the Simpson College women's basketball team was unable to sustain its early offensive surge in a 66-51 loss to Luther on Saturday.

After falling behind 15-6 early in the opening quarter, Simpson (6-6, 2-1 A-R-C) closed the period by knocking down eight of its final 10 shots to pull even at 23-23. The Storm finished the quarter shooting 68.8 percent (11-of-16), while Luther (6-6, 2-1 A-R-C) answered at 60.0 percent to set the tone for a high-scoring first 10 minutes.

Both offenses cooled significantly in the second, but Luther gained separation with a 16-8 second quarter to take a 39-31 lead into halftime. Simpson defended well in the second half, holding the Norse to 27 points over the final two quarters, but struggled to regain its shooting rhythm, going just 10-of-43 from the field after the opening frame.

TOP STORM

• Ella Anderson: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals
• Maddax DeVault: 12 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds
• Reagan Grimsley: 6 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists
• Elle Street: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals

NOTES

• Simpson still leads the all-time series 58-40.
• Ella Anderson has recorded a double-double in all three of Simpson's conference games thus far. She leads the league with 11.7 rebounds per game in A-R-C play and also boasts the highest field goal percentage against conference foes (74.1).

UP NEXT
Simpson stays on the road to face Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.