WAVERLY, Iowa— Recording a career-high night in scoring on 5-of-11 field goal shooting,
Brea Dillavou and the No. 12/15 Wartburg Knights women's basketball squad fell in overtime action to the No. 5/6 Simpson College Storm, 78-73.
After taking the lead at 8-7 on a three-pointer by Dillavou, the Knights would be held scoreless for nearly six minutes.
Jaedon Murphy ended the Knights scoring drought with a layup as the first quarter after grabbing her first of four steals.
Starting the second quarter strong, the Knights trimmed the lead down to five with three three-pointers in the holding minutes of the quarter. Consistent ball pressure by the Knights saw the Storm's lead trimmed to three as Dillavou hit a shot from behind the arc with 40 seconds remaining.
Britney Young and
Hannah Anderson helped the Knights take the lead within the first minutes of the third quarter on a pair of three pointers. A pair of free throws by
Maggie Wilkins extended the Knights lead to seven (51-44) with just over four minutes to play. The Storm made six straight three-pointers to trail by one as the game headed into the final quarter of play.
Taking this game to the wire, the Knights and Storm battled it out in the fourth quarter trading baskets. A late foul by the Storm sent
Macy Harris to the line with nine seconds left in the game as Harris drained both attempts. A quick layup by the Storm cut the Knights lead to three as the Storm hit a three-pointer as time expired to force overtime.
Taylor Runchey hit a pair of free throws in overtime, tying the game for the final time at 71. Murphy recorded the final basket for the Knights on an assist by Harris as the Storm hit three free throws in the closing seconds of the game.
The Knights recorded 13-of-18 free throws in the second half and overtime, while the Storm tallied 15-of-18 after not making a trip to the line in the first half.
The Knights defense held Storm leading scorer, Jenna Taylor, to eight points in the contest as four members of the Storm's squad landed in double-digit scoring.
The game would be tied eight times in the contest with 14 lead changes between the squads.
The Knights fall to 14-4 overall and 7-3 in the A-R-C. Simpson College improves to 17-1 on the season and 9-0 in A-R-C action.
Checking out the Numbers
The Knights shot 31 percent from the field and collected ten three-pointers (29 percent from behind the arc). At the line, the Knights missed six attempts, shooting 19-of-25 at the free throw line (76 percent). The Knights added 17 points off turnovers and 23 bench points.
The team recorded 36 rebounds, grabbed 10 steals, and recorded 16 assists in the contest. Murphy recorded her second double-double this season, grabbing 10 of the rebounds along with 15 points.
Joining Dillavou and Murphy in double-digit scoring were Harris (13 points) and Anderson (12 points). Eight Knights saw action in this afternoon's contest with every athlete landing in the scoring column.
Knights in the Poll
Moving up a spot, the Knights sit at No. 12 in the D3hoops.com rankings.
The Knights remained inside the top-15 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Associations (WBCA) poll, landing at No. 15.
Next Time Out
Hitting the road for a pair of games, the Knights travel to Luther on February 2. The Knights and Norse are set for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off in Decorah, Iowa.
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