WAVERLY, Iowa - The fourth ranked Wartburg women's basketball team will compete against No. 14 Simpson College inside Levick Arena on Monday, March 1 at  5:30 p.m. in a battle for first place in the American Rivers Conference. The Knights have won 10 of the past 11 contests against the Storm dating back to 2015. 

Monday, March 1 - 5:30 p.m. - Waverly, Iowa - Levick Arena
Wartburg Knights (12-1, 5-1 A-R-C) vs. Simpson College (8-0, 7-0 A-R-C)

Series Record: Wartburg trails 37-50
Last Five Meetings: 
Feb. 15, 2020 -- W, 102-62 (Waverly)
Jan. 22, 2020 -- L, 62-66 (Indianola) 
Jan. 31, 2019 -- W, 88-73 (Indianola)
Nov. 28, 2018 -- W, 83-69 (Waverly)
Feb. 3, 2018 -- W, 88-68 (Waverly)

Attendance Policy
Two people per each participant (student-athlete/coach/staff member) will be permitted to attend basketball, volleyball, and wrestling home events inside Levick Arena. Seating for spectators will take place in the west bleachers across from the team benches. 
 
SPECTATORS WILL BE REQUIRED TO FOLLOW CAMPUS MASKING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES. LEARN MORE HERE.

Season Notes
The fourth ranked Knights have enjoyed a five-game winning streak and sit in second place in the A-R-C while No. 14 Simpson is alone in first place. The Orange & Black are a perfect 8-0 inside Levick Arena and 4-1 on the road. 

Wartburg is the second ranked offense in the conference as they average 76.9 points per game and have a conference-best 28.1 scoring margin. The Knights are shooting 42.6% from the floor, 30.5% from long range and 70.7% from the charity stripe. They are also out rebounding their opponents by 12.6 boards and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.15, which ranks first in the A-R-C. 

The defense for the Orange & Black is the best in the conference, allowing just 48.8 points per contest. Opponents are shooting 32.3% from the field, 25.3% from beyond the arc and 69.1% from the free-throw line. 

Senior forward Payton Draper leads the program in scoring and rebounding with 13.1 points and 5.8 boards per game. Freshman forward Jaedon Murphy is also averaging double figures in scoring with 10.8. Fellow freshman Britney Young has posted a team-high 3.1 assists per contest while senior guard Ally Conrad is close behind with 2.7. Conrad also paces the team on the defensive side of the court with 2.2 steals and senior forward Bailey Naig ranks tied for sixth in the conference in blocks with .9 per game. 

Last Time Out
The fourth ranked Knights came away with a victory on senior night when they took down Central College 63-50 on Wednesday, Feb. 24 inside Levick Arena. The Knights have now won the past 17 games against the Dutch and have come away victorious in 35 of the last 38. 

It was a sloppy start to the contest for both programs as the score stood at four apiece six minutes into the game. The Knights started to get in a groove as the frame progressed and were led by senior forward Draper who tallied five first-period points. Wartburg held the Dutch to just two made field goals and held a 7-2 advantage on points-off-turnovers. The Orange & Black went on a 10-3 run to end the frame and took a seven-point lead into the second period. 

Both teams got going in the second when each shot over 40% from the field. Central was able to get within one point of the Knights behind a strong performance from guard Kelsea Hurley who recorded 10 points in the period. Wartburg weathered the storm and pulled away once more when they jumped out on a 12-2 run down the stretch. Freshmen Sara Faber and Murphy scored a combined 10 points in the frame and shot 50% from the field. The Knights went into the break with a 10-point advantage.

The Clear Lake, Iowa native Faber added another five points in the third and the Knights grew their lead to 18-points. Wartburg's defense repeated its first-period dominance when they allowed just two made field goals and held Central to a shooting percentage of 18.2% from the floor. The Knights went a perfect 6-of-6 from the line and entered the final period with a comfortable 18-point advantage. 

Wartburg put on the cruise control in the fourth and eased its way to its fifth straight victory. With the win, the Knights are now a perfect 8-0 inside Levick Arena with a scoring margin of 32.9. The Knights were led by Waverly native Draper who reached double figures in scoring for the sixth time in the past seven games with 11. Freshman Faber also totaled double figures with 10 points. Senior guard Conrad paced the team in rebounds with 10 while freshman Young recorded a team-high four assists. 

Simpson College
The Storm come into the contest with a perfect 8-0 record and are in first place in the conference as they have dominated their opponents on the offensive end. 

Simpson is averaging 84.6 points per game, which ranks first in the conference and have a scoring margin of 20.5. They are shooting 45.2% from the field, 39.1% from 3-point land and 78.7% from the foul line. The Storm have out rebounded their opponents by .8 boards per game and have an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.14. 

Senior forward Jenna Taylor has tallied a team-best 20.9 points per contest, which is the best in the A-R-C. Fellow senior forward Cameron Kincaid is also averaging double figures in scoring with 14, which is good for seventh in the conference. Guards Cassie Nash and Kia Rasmussen add plenty of offense with 13.3 and 10.6 points, respectively. The Creston, Iowa native Taylor paces Simpson in rebounding with 8.5, which leads the conference. Rasmussen ranks first in the A-R-C with 6.1 assists per game. 

Defensively, the Irwin, Iowa native Rasmussen has recorded a team-high 3.8 steals. Opponents are scoring 64.1 points against the Storm and are shooting 37% from the field and 27.6% from long range.