Luther ignites from deep

INDIANOLA — Everything seemed to be on track Tuesday for the Simpson College women’s basketball team to advance to the semifinals of the American Rivers Conference tournament.

The fourth-seeded Storm, including starters Maddax DeVault of Greenfield and Doryn Paup of Creston, bolted to a 13-point lead (28-15) in the first half against No. 5 seed Luther College. Simpson’s active press led to numerous fast break baskets as DeVault already had nine points before halftime.

Simpson had earned the tournament home game by knocking off ARC runner-up Coe last weekend, ending with a 9-7 conference mark. Luther finished fifth at 8-8, despite sweeping the season series against the Storm.

Luther drew closer before the half ended with a Storm 37-32 advantage. Then, the Norse got red hot from 3-point range in the second half, hitting 14 of 28 (50%) from distance for the game. Simpson was 3-13 behind the arc, and that difference proved to be impactful in Luther’s 77-72 victory.

The Norse (13-13) advanced to Thursday’s semifinal against top-seeded Wartburg. No. 2 seed Coe hosted No. 3 Buena Vista in the other semifinal Thursday.

DeVault finished with 18 points in her final game for the Storm. Paup had seven rebounds and two points as the Storm season ended at 13-13.

Simpson didn’t go down without a fight, however, after trailing by 10 points (73-63) with 2:30 to play. With 11 seconds left, it was a one-possession game at 73-70. Natalie Beaver sealed it for the Norse with two free throws as Simpson suffered a turnover on one of its two final possessions.

“I think a lot of it came from breakdowns in our defense,” DeVault said. “They are a good shooting team and played a great game. This is a good experience for our underclassmen. When those tight games come in the future they’ll be more prepared. It kind of sucks for us seniors, but ...”

DeVault had two of the team’s 3-pointers as the Storm shot only 23.1% from distance. For the season, Simpson’s 3-point percentage was 31.6%.

Paup had a team-high six defensive rebounds. She said Luther withstood Simpson’s early barrage of fast-break attacks fueled by the fullcourt press.

“They made adjustments, which is what a good team will do,” Paup said. “We were fully confident that we could have won, but it comes down to those little things. It came down to those threes. That’s what kind of separated them from us.”

Now, suddenly, Paup is headed toward her senior season at Simpson and already thinking about her approach.

“Just stepping up as a leader on and off the court,” Paup said. “I’m excited to step into those roles.”

Meanwhile, DeVault’s career basketball career is over. She will transition to the track team as a hurdler and sprinter for the rest of the spring season.

“It hasn’t really hit yet,” DeVault said after the game. “We were fully confident that we could win this game and everybody believed it. We left it all out there. When I join track is kind of up to me. We’ll see.”