LINCOLN, Neb. – Nate Schimonitz scored the game-winning layup on a back door pass from Blake Ruiz with 4.6 seconds remaining to give Nebraska Wesleyan a 73-72 victory over Simpson College on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 4) in front of a spirited home crowd at Snyder Arena.
 
Simpson's DJ Dafney made a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left to put the Storm up 72-71 to set up the final series for the Prairie Wolves.  NWU brought the ball down the court and found Ruiz at the top of the key, Schimonitz caught his defender looking and cut to the hoop where he finished the layup.
 
The Storm inbounded the ball right away and got up to half court where the ball got loose and players dove on the floor as time expired with the Prairie Wolves coming out on top.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan trailed by as many as 17 points in the first half and the Storm built up a 42-28 halftime lead.  Simpson shot 54.5 percent from the field in the first half, compared to only 32.3 percent for the Prairie Wolves.
 
NWU slowly chipped away at the Storm lead and got the lead down to five points with 12:10 remaining.  Simpson didn't cave and maintained the lead getting it back up to seven points on two different occasions.
 
Finally with 2:08 left, Schimonitz made a basket in the paint to put NWU ahead 68-67.  After a miss on the other end for Simpson, Ryan Garver drove the lane to make a layup while getting fouled.  Garver converted the old fashioned three point play giving the Prairie Wolves a 71-67 advantage with 1:18 remaining.
 
Simpson came down and hit a clutch 3-pointer by Austin Turner with one minute remaining making the score 71-70.  Schimonitz ran down the clock and missed a jumper in the lane giving the Storm a chance on their end.  Turner missed a layup but Dafner got the rebound and was fouled on the putback.
 
Once again it was Nate Schimonitz that came to the rescue for the Prairie Wolves in the second half.  After being held to just two points in the first half, Schimonitz finished the game with 22 points.  He nailed 3-3 from 3-point range in the second half to go along with four rebounds and two assists.
 
Deion Wells-Ross had a huge performance off the bench providing a big spark in the victory.  He scored 16 points with six rebounds and four assists.
 
The other player in double figures was Cooper Cook with 15 points and eight rebounds, making four 3-pointers.
 
NWU ended the game making 12-25 from 3-point range shooting 8-12 in the second half.  They shot 55.6 percent from the field in the second half and finished the game at 43.1 percent.  The 73 points scored is the lowest point total for a NWU victory during the Dale Wellman era, and just the second time in three years the Prairie Wolves have won a game being held under 80 points.

Simpson was held to 38.5 percent in the 2^nd half when the Prairie Wolves switched to a zone defense.  The Storm did not respond well to the zone as they were kept out of the lane, which led to so many points in the first half.
 
Ryan Skaar had 16 points to lead the Storm but did not score in the second half.  He was 6-7 from the field and 4-5 from 3-point range in the first half but missed his three attempts in the second half.  Sam Amsbaugh and DJ Dafney both scored 12 points.
 
NWU will close out the 3-game homestand on Wednesday night as they host Coe College in Snyder Arena.  The Prairie Wolves are now 8-1 at home this season and remain alone in 2^nd place in the IIAC standings.