INDIANOLA, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - A quick start on Wednesday night by Simpson slotted the Loras men's basketball team behind the eight-ball and the Duhawks were unable to makeup the lost ground, faling 78-60. Senior Mirko Grcic scored double-digits for the eighth consecutive game, finishing with 25 on 11-of-14 shooting.

TURNING POINT
With 8:58 to play in the first half, Simpson (9-5, 2-1 IIAC) held a slim 21-19 lead. Over the next 4:39, the Storm scored 13-unanswered points to take a commanding 32-19 lead. This created enough buffer for Simpson despite repeated runs by Loras (7-7, 2-1 IIAC) in the second half to try and close the gap.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
An 11-2 run out of the gates by Simpson prompted a timeout from Head Coach Greg Gorton with 16:04 to play in the first half. The break in action proved to be just what Loras needed as they went on a 6-0 run of their own to cut the Storm lead to three.

A spell of 2:23 at the 14:30 mark of the first half resulted in no made baskets for either side. A jumper by Brook Thompson at 12:07 ended the scoreless run and increased Simpson's advantage to six.

Simpson's 13-0 run beginning at the 7:29 mark blew the doors wide open and put Simpson in the driver's seat.

A 3-pointer from junior Justin VanWambeke cut the deficit to eight with 1:25 to play before a jumper by Simpson's Ryan Skaar sent his side to the locker room at halftime with a 36-26 advantage.

Second Half
Trailing by 10, Loras came out of the intermission on a 5-0 run, with all five points being score by Grcic. The rally ended with a 3-pointer by Simpson's Dillon Gretzky.

Each time Loras managed to string together multiple positive possessions, the Storm responded with a basket of their own, reigniting their home crowd's enthusiasm.

A 3-pointer by Skaar at the 11:01 mark extended Simpson's lead to 18, the largest of the evening. The Duhawks remained scrappy and continued to fight their way back into the game. The closest Loras managed to get was 10 at 64-54 with 6:11 left in the half.

Simpson closed the night on a 7-1 run to put away Loras for good and claim the 78-60 victory.

FRIEDMAN GROUP PLAYER OF THE GAME
Mirko Grcic | The Iowa Conference performer of the week walked the walk on Wednesday night, hitting 11-of-14 shots from the floor to lead all scorers with 25 points. It's the fourth time this season that Grcic has scored 25 or more points.

SOUNDBITES | Mirko Grcic


UP NEXT
Loras returns to the court on Saturday against Central at 4 p.m. The Dutch were 72-67 winners over the Univ. of Dubuque on Wednesday night. Central features one of the top players in Division III in Colby Taylor, who enters the weekend averaging 22.5 points per game and 9.4 rebounds per game.