| Simpson head coach Brian Niemuth is eighth among active Division III women's basketball coaches. Simpson athletics file photo |
Simpson head coach Brian Niemuth got a big win when the Storm rallied to beat the Big Blue of Millikin, 76-69, giving him 600 career victories.
- From the archive: Niemuth reaches 500 wins (Feb. 2013)
- Spirk reaches 600 wins at Moravian
Simpson trailed Millikin 58-52 entering the fourth quarter but quickly erased that deficit with back-to-back threes by Hattie Rhodes and Cassie Chubb on the Storm's first two possessions. Kia Rasmussen hit another three on Simpson's next possession and Maddie Bacon added two free throws one minute later, giving the Storm a 63-58 lead. Neither team scored for the next five minutes until Simpson's Claire Johnson extended the lead with two more layups. Millikin got its first points of the fourth quarter with 1:23 to play but the Storm sealed the win with seven free throws in the final minute.
Chubb led the Storm (8-3) with 17 points and nine rebounds while Johnson (15 points) and Rasmussen (14 points) also reached double figures.
Niemuth's win gives him a career mark of 600-267 in 33 seasons with the Storm. He is eighth among active Division III coaches and 20th all-time at this level.
Under Niemuth, the Storm have won its conference 11 times, including six straight from 2008 through 2013. Niemuth was named the D3hoops.com West Region Coach of the Year in 2013 when the Storm went 27-3.
Simpson has appeared in the NCAA Tournament 10 times, including three trips to the Round of 16 (2007, 2008 and 2013). Simpson has appeared in the D3hoops.com Top 25 rankings 88 times from the poll's inception in 1999 through today. The Storm's highest ranking came in Jan. 2000 when Simpson was ranked No. 2 for two weeks.
The Storm will take eight days off and resume play against SUNY New Paltz in the Nashville, Tenn.