The Simpson women’s basketball team fell 58-39 to Wartburg on Wednesday night in Waverly.

The Knights set the tone early, shooting nearly 60 percent in the opening quarter and racing out to a 27-7 lead. The pace slowed in the second period as Simpson settled in defensively, but Wartburg maintained control and carried a 41-18 advantage into halftime.

Simpson turned up the defensive pressure after the break, holding the Knights to just two points in the third quarter. Despite the strong effort on that end, the Storm struggled to find a rhythm offensively and were only able to trim the deficit to 43-27 heading into the final period.

Wartburg regained its footing in the fourth, edging Simpson 15-12 over the final 10 minutes to secure the 58-39 decision.

The men’s team trailed by as many as 24 in the second half, Simpson nearly mounted a comeback before falling to Wartburg 74-66.

Simpson shot 33.3 percent from the field, and 29.0 percent beyond the arc. Levi Gurwell had 21 points and A-R-C player of the week Cam Henderson had 16 points and combined for 37 points and six steals. Calix Cahill and Isaac Averill combined for 14 rebounds as the Storm ended with 44 boards with 11 assists, 11 steals and four blocks.

Both Simpson teams head to Loras on Saturday.

*from simpsonsports.com