Norse use perimeter shooting to down Simpson in A-R-C First Round

INDIANOLA, Iowa – No. 5 Luther used a second-half surge from beyond the arc to defeat No. 4 Simpson in the opening round of the American Rivers Conference tournament Tuesday night.

After Simpson (13-13) built an early double-digit lead, Luther (13-13) caught fire from beyond the arc in the second half, finishing with 14 3-pointers while shooting 50.0 percent from distance. The Norse knocked down five triples in the third quarter to swing momentum and added three more in the fourth to create separation.

Simpson opened the game sharply, jumping out to a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes. Luther answered with three 3-pointers to trim the deficit to one, but a three from Maddax DeVault gave the Storm a 21-15 edge at the end of the first quarter.

Ella Anderson scored seven straight points to open the second, pushing Simpson to its largest lead of the night at 28-15. Luther gradually worked back into the game, cutting the margin to 37-32 by halftime.

The Norse carried that momentum into the second half, using their perimeter shooting to overtake the Storm as Simpson was unable to keep pace down the stretch.

TOP STORM

• Maddax DeVault: 18 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
• Ella Anderson: 15 points, 5 rebounds
• Elle Street: 10 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds
• Keira McCormick: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks
• Taylor Hansen: 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
• Doryn Paup: 2 points, 7 rebounds