DECORAH, Iowa – Who's afraid of the big bad storm? Certainly not the Luther College men's basketball team. The Norse got back to their winning ways Saturday afternoon, dousing Simpson College in a dominant 66-48 victory. With the win, Luther improves to 7-14 overall and 4-9 in American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) play. Additionally, the Norse have won four of their last five games, with their record in the Regents Center improving to 5-4 this 2022-23 season. 

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
Luther was completely and totally dominant in the first half of Saturday's contest, both on the offensive and defensive sides of the court. The Norse held the Storm to just 17 first half points, as Simpson managed to make just seven shots in the first 20 minutes of play. The Norse, on the other hand, were rolling, as they shot .452 from the floor in the first half, including a .429 clip from three point range. Aidan Bailey (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) and Mat Rhohden (Joinville, Brazil / Juan Diego Catholic) were red hot on the floor, as they led the team by scoring a combined 17 points in the first half. Rohden scored 10 points in the opening 20 minutes of play, while Bailey added seven, leading Luther to an impressive 34-17 lead at the half. 

Rather than be complicit in the second half, the Norse continued to score as their defense held Simpson at bay. In fact, neither team scored for the opening three minutes, until Andrew Lazinbat (San Antonio, Texas / Brandies) broke the scoring drought at 16:55 in the half. For the ensuing minutes, Luther just kept scoring, as Mikkel Schutte (Houston, Minn. / Houston) and Matthew Franzen (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) added to their individual point totals while extending the Norse lead to 41-17. While Luther's defense, especially on the perimeter, forced the Storm to take difficult shots, the offense continued to score, as Daniel Webster (Plano, Texas / St. Ignatius) gave the Norse their largest lead of the game, 52-24, with 10:21 remaining in regulation. 

Simpson tried to make things interesting in the closing five minutes, whittling Luther's lead to 61-45 with some stingy defense of its own, but there was simply too much ground for the Storm to cover. A Franzen three righted the ship for the Norse, and a dunk by Isaac Banks (Buena Park, Calif. / The Buckley School) provided the statement play, as Luther cruised to victory by a final score of 66-48. 

TOP NORSE

• Mat Rohden (Joinville, Brazil / Juan Diego Catholic) led Luther in scoring Saturday afternoon, closing the day with 14 points after a quality first half for the Norse. Aidan Bailey (Dripping Springs, Texas / Dripping Springs) and Matthew Franzen (Decorah, Iowa / Decorah) also scored in double-digits for Luther, closing the game with 11 points a piece. 
• Mikkel Schutte (Houston, Minn. / Houston) once again led the team with six rebounds Saturday afternoon, while Andrew Lazinbat (San Antonio, Texas / Brandies) tied his season-high with seven assists. 
• Myke Shed (Teague, Texas / Teague) closed the game with nine points and a career-high four steals. 

UP NEXT
Luther will hit the road for a crucial A-R-C match up on Wednesday, February 8. The Norse are set to tip off against Loras College at 7:30 p.m. in Dubuque, Iowa.