INDIANOLA, Iowa — The no. 5 seed Luther women's basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) tournament by defeating the no. 4 seed Simpson 77-72 on the road. Four players reached double digits including
Natalie Beaver,
Lexi Thomas,
Haylie Strum and
Katie Hardtke.
Simpson led 37-32 at halftime after a layup by
Lexi Thomas pulled Luther within five just before the break.
The third quarter saw score tied four times and three lead changes occurred. Luther had a three point lead going into the final ten minutes of play thanks to a three-pointer from
Natalie Beaver (56-53). The Norse outscored the Storm 24-16 in the third frame.
The Storm kept it close early but the Norse pushed their lead to five with a three from Thomas (64-59) with 7:02 remaining. Luther remained in control of the lead building a 10 point advantage (73-63 at 3:30). Then with 11 seconds to go Simpson cut the advantage down to three points. Beaver hit two pairs of free throws to seal the game.
Beaver recorded her 10th double-double of the season leading the team with 24 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas set a new career high of 20 points which included going 6-9 from beyond the arc.
Haylie Strum and
Katie Hardtke both scored ten points. As a team the Norse made 14 three pointers for the most made in a single game this season.
The leading scorer for Simpson was Maddax DeVault with 18 points. The Storm finish the season 13-13 overall and 9-7 in the A-R-C.
The Norse are now 13-13 overall this season.
Luther will face no. 1 seed Wartburg in the conference tournament semifinal on Thursday, Feb. 26. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. in Waverly, Iowa.
The other semifinal will feature no. 3 seed Buena Vista at no. 2 Coe on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m.
A reminder to fans that the conference tournament is a pay-per-view model for the entirety of the tournament. All basketball tournament games will be available exclusively through the American Rivers Sports Network through Hudl. Fans can access the broadcasts online or through the American Rivers Sports Network app (available on smart TV's, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick, and mobile devices).
