Second half rally subdues Knights

INDIANOLA – Wartburg College gave Iowa Conference leader and unbeaten Simpson all it could handle in a league road test Jan. 19.

Coach Bob Amsberry's Knights (15-2, 6-2 IIAC) held as much as a 10-point lead in the late stages of the first half and continued to lead right through the midway point of the second half. However, the host Storm (14-3 overall, 8-0 IIAC) took off on a 17-4 run over the final 9:52 to pull out a 64-55 victory inside Cowles Fieldhouse.

Senior center Katie Zittergruen of Van Horne tallied 14 points, four rebounds and three steals, while junior guard Stephanie Reiter of LaPorte City finished with 10 points and seven rebounds to lead the Orange and Black. The duo's double figure efforts occurred despite a tough shooting night team-wise (31 percent field goal, 30.8 percent three-point and 33.3 percent free throw).

The second half of the 2010-11 IIAC schedule begins with a crucial rematch with second-place Coe College of Cedar Rapids Saturday, Jan. 22. Tipoff is 2 p.m. inside Levick Arena.

NOTES – With Wednesday's loss, the Knights slipped into third place on the conference standings, a game behind Coe for second and two back of Simpson. … Zittergruen recorded her eighth double-figure scoring contest of the season. … Reiter's three three-point buckets marked the 11th time this year she's hit multiple treys.