Slow second half scoring led to both the Simpson Storm women’s and men’s basketball teams as they were swept by Wartburg Saturday, the Storm women falling 61-49 and the men 82-70 in a doubleheader heard live on 94.3 KNIA.

The Storm women had a lead against #2 Wartburg at the end of the first quarter 15-12, and only trailed by one at halftime 33-32. But multiple scoreless minutes in the third quarter led to an 11-point deficit heading into the fourth and to the end of the game, with Simpson only scoring 17 points the entire second half. Assistant Coach Claire Urias tells KNIA Sports the squad played well on defense to hold the #2 in the country Knights to just 61 points, but they have to be able to hit shots when they find them against good teams in order to win.

The Storm shot just 3-22 from beyond the arc, as Molly Lutmer led the team with 15 points.

The Storm men had much of the same story, leading for the majority of the first half against the Knights and playing efficient offense, but still trailed at halftime 38-34. The Storm then only mustered one field goal in the first five minutes of the second half as the lead ballooned to double-digits, where it would stay the rest of the game. Levi Gurwell scored 16 points, while Cam Henderson scored 14.

The Storm women are now 6-7 overall and 2-2 in conference, while the men are 3-10 and 0-4, and both teams will host Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday.