Simpson rolls in final game on West Coast

SAN DIEGO - Simpson's inside-out combination of Stacey Schutjer and Katie Kitzman combined for 34 points as the Storm rolled over Bridgewater State, 84-46 in the final game of the Surf N' Slam San Diego Hoop Classic Wednesday.

Schutjer, the Iowa Conference's third-leading scorer, led the way with a game-high 18 points and Kitzman followed close behind with 16 as the No. 23 Storm (9-2) shot over 55 percent from the field for the second game in a row.

Simpson shot 56.7 percent against Bridgewater after hitting on 56.5 percent of its attempts in Tuesday's 81-53 win over Capital.

The Storm closed out the 2009 Surf N' Slam San Diego Hoop Classic with a 2-1 record, losing the opener to Point Loma Nazarene, 84-47 before rebounding with back-to-back wins.  

For the second night in a row, Simpson dominated in the post, outscoring the Bears (3-7) 40-10 in the paint. Simpson also controlled the game defensively, scoring 42 points off 34 Bridgewater turnovers.

Simpson led the affair from wire-to-wire, jumping out to a 29-11 lead in the first 10 minutes. The Storm held a 47-15 lead at intermission after shooting 63 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes. The lead grew to as much as 41 with 10:19 remaining in the game after Katie Inghram converted a layup.

Emily Smith paced the effort on the glass for Simpson, pulling down seven boards. Ali Sokol provided a spark for the Storm off the bench as well, scoring eight points and grabbing six rebounds.

Brittney Chappron led Bridgewater State wtih 15 points.

Simpson returns to action in the New Year when it travels to Waverly for an Iowa Conference bout with Wartburg at 6 p.m.