The Simpson College women’s basketball team used stout defense to extend their winning streak to 44 games against Central Tuesday night in a 63-56 victory, while the Dutch men’s squad outlasted the Storm in a hard-fought 80-76 win, with both games heard live on 92.1 KRLS.

In the women’s game, Simpson grabbed the early advantage with a 21-14 lead after one quarter. Central answered with a 10-2 run to open the second quarter to take a 24-23 lead midway through the period, but the Storm reclaimed a 33-28 advantage at halftime. The two teams traded runs throughout much of the second half, but Simpson held off the Dutch to extend their winning streak. The Storm’s full court defensive press forced 25 Central turnovers and led to 22 points. Junior Haley Rasmussen posted a game-high 21 points for Simpson, connecting on five of her eight three point attempts. Freshman point guard Emily Naughton led Central offensively with 15 points. 

The Storm women improved to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the American Rivers Conference and return to action this weekend with the La Crosse Classic in Wisconsin. The Dutch women drop to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the league and next compete on Saturday in St. Louis, Missouri against Fontbonne University.

In a physical, high-intensity battle, the Central men’s basketball team used a dominant effort on the glass and added just enough offensively to sneak out a four-point win over Simpson. The Dutch outrebounded the Storm 53-28 on the night. Central held a 39-28 halftime lead but Simpson pulled even at 50-50 with 11:37 left in the game. The game remained tight down the stretch, but Kaleb Brand’s 6-of-6 shooting at the free throw line in the final 36 seconds secured the win for the Dutch. Central’s All-American Joshua Van Gorp posted his third double-double of the season with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Kole Tupa also scored 19 points and grabbed eight boards. Simpson’s Andrew Gibb scored a game-high 23 points, while Caden Rehmeier added 19 on five of eight three-point shooting.

Central improved to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in the ARC and travels to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville Saturday for a 5 p.m. non-conference game. Simpson fell to 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the conference and are back on the road Saturday at Cornell College.