WAVERLY, Iowa – Wartburg men's basketball fell to Simpson College 79-67 in an American Rivers Conference battle on Saturday, Dec. 10. The Knights are now 3-6 overall and move to 1-2 in A-R-C play.
 
Scoring Summary

• First Half
  • Neither team found a rhythm offensively to start the game and it was 1-0 Simpson after three minutes of play
  • Simpson connected on back-to-back three pointers that put them up 7-0
  • Both teams traded baskets until a Jack Molstead three put the Knights within six
  • After trailing 21-12, Wartburg went on a 6-0 run over midway through the first half to make the score 21-18
  • Donovon Smith and Austin Bienemann both hit threes for the Knights and the score was 30-30 with 2:10 left in the half
  • The Knights closed the half with layups from Marshun Williams and Trent Allard to take a 37-34 lead into the break
• Second Half
  • Molstead had five quick points to start the second half
  • Wartburg led by as much as 10 with 11:58 left in the second half
  • Over the next three minutes, Simpson shot its way back into the game by forcing trips to the free throw line
  • A three pointer gave the Storm its first lead of the second half with 9:36 left to play
  • Simpson went on a 11-2 run led by multiple makes from beyond the arc
  • Wartburg got the lead down to four, but the late push wasn't enough to overcome the Storm lead
  • Simpson held Wartburg off 79-67

 
Top Performers

• Molstead
  • 21 points
    • FG: 7/20
    • 3P: 5/11
    • FT: 2/3
  • Six rebounds
  • Three assists
  • One steal
• Codey Hicks
  • 13 points
    • 6/6 FG
    • FT: 1/4
  • Eight rebounds
  • One block
• Keagan John
  • Nine points
    • FG: 2/14
    • FT: 4/7
  • Four assists
  • Two rebounds
  • Four steals

 
Notes/Streaks

• First loss to Simpson in last five matchups
• Wartburg still leads the all-time series 95-42
• Molstead
  • At 868 career points, the senior needs just 132 more points to join the 1,000 Point Club at Wartburg
  • Sixth time scoring over 20 points this season
• Simpson went 18/19 from the free throw line in the second half
• Wartburg shooting percentages:
  • FG: 38.7%
  • 3P: 25.8%
  • FT: 61.1%

Next Time Out
The Knights are off until Tuesday, Dec. 20, when they will travel to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for two non-conference matchups in the Cruzin' Classic.