The Simpson men’s and women’s basketball teams both won in thrilling but completely different fashions Saturday afternoon in American Rivers Conference action, the Storm men hitting a winner at the buzzer to take down Loras in double overtime 102-100, and the Storm women taking down Dubuque in a blowout 103-61 in a pair of games heard live on 94.3 KNIA.

The Storm and the Duhawks traded blows early on throughout the first half, the Storm getting a lead as big as eight but neither team taking control for a Loras 40-39 halftime lead. The second half mirrored much of the first half, with the teams battling back and forth but Loras ending with a 2-point lead with just seconds to go when sophomore guard Andrew Curran hit a driving layup as time ran out in regulation to force overtime tied at 83. In overtime, the Storm took an early lead, but Loras came back and missed a game winner with just seconds left, leading to the second overtime period. Simpson earned a six point lead with just 90 seconds left in the second OT, but a quick 6-0 run by Loras evaporated the lead, with Simpson getting the ball with just 10 seconds remaining.

Curran hit the game winner and ended with a career high 43 points leading the Storm to a 3-3 record in conference play. The Storm will next play Monday hosting Wartburg.

The Storm women dominated from start to finish over the Spartans, forcing 20 first half turnovers en route to a 57-17 halftime lead. With the starters not playing much of the second half, the Storm continued to pour it on offensively, crossing the century mark late in the fourth quarter. Five Storm players were in double figures in the contest, led by Jenna Taylor scoring 17 in less than 17 minutes on the court. Simpson stays undefeated, moving to 8-0 on the conference season and setting up a de facto conference championship game against Wartburg on Monday.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Google Podcasts | RSS | More