Storm Hold on for 81-66 Win over Women's Basketball

Senior Laura Hilby (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston) scored a career-high 21 points and Susan Kies (Fonda, Iowa/Newell-Fonda) followed with a career-best 20, but it was Simpson College using a big second half to hold on and defeat the Buena Vista women’s basketball team on Wednesday night, 81-66.

Hilby and Kies combined to shoot 15-of-30 from the field and made a combined seven of the team’s nine three-point buckets, including four from Kies which matched her career-high.  Hilby, who also dished out four assists in the game, made all three of her triples in the first half, as Kies made two. As a team, the Beavers combined to go 7-of-16 from long range in the half and take a 39-36 halftime lead.

Sophomore Malarie Gilley (Grand Junction, Iowa/East Greene) followed with nine points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench, while senior Amanda Roder (Remsen, Iowa/St. Mary’s) added nine points, two blocks and two steals.

Hilby put BVU up 18-10 with a three-pointer early on, but the Storm would respond with a 12-2 run to take a 22-20 lead with 6:30 remaining.  Kies later put the Beavers back in front 30-26 at the four-minute mark with the first of her two first-half three’s before giving the team the three-point halftime advantage with her second one just before the buzzer.

After shooting only 35 percent in the opening half, including just 3-of-15 from long range, the Storm came out on fire in the second, connecting on 58 percent of their overall attempts over the final 20 minutes, including 6-of-10 from downtown.   

Two of those six three-pointers came during a 10-0 spurt to begin the second half as they built a 46-39 lead.  Kies would later connect on a pair of three-pointers during a 14-6 run that got BVU back within 55-53 with a little more than 12 minutes to go.

Gilley’s bucket and free-throw kept the margin at two a minute later before Simpson hit back-to-back three-pointers to go back up by eight with under nine minutes to go.

The Beavers got it back within four with just over four minutes to go, but the Storm closed the game on an 11-0 run to secure the win.

Stacey Schutjer turned in a game-high 24 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for Simpson (17-5, 10-3 IIAC).

Buena Vista is now 10-12 overall (5-8 IIAC).  The Beavers will return home on Saturday night to host the University of Dubuque at 6:00pm.

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