Turnovers cost the Storm in an exhibition game Sunday night – Simpson committed 29 of them in a 68-60 loss to South Australia Sports Institute.

Simpson was led by sophomore Ashley Hansen with 15 points. Junior Sarah Pearson added nine in the losing effort.

“I think it was good for us to get out on the floor and get some more experience,” senior Kristi Prostine said.

The Storm looked uncomfortable early in the game with the Aussie defense, which led to a 34-25 halftime lead for the visitors.

With a nine-point deficit at halftime, the Storm needed to make a rally.

Falling behind by 12 early in the second half, the Storm used an 11-0 run to pull within a point of their opponent.

The one-point deficit was the closest that the Storm would to the Aussies in the game. The Storm’s point streak didn’t last through the rest of the game though.

“I don’t think we were rusty,” Prostine said. “It just took us awhile to get going.”

The Aussies went on a 13-1 run to pull away from the Storm and build a 50-37 lead. The Storm rallied for a final score of 60, but it wasn’t enough to beat the women from South Australia Sports Institute.

Even with the loss, Prostine said the game was a good opportunity for the team to get more experience before jumping into conference play.

“This game was a good warm-up for Central because they played a lot like Central,” Prostine said.

The Aussies committed 17 steals in the game and blocked 13 Simpson shots. The Storm saw 13 of its 14 players commit at least one turnover, which led to 27 Aussie points.

Prostine said this is one aspect the team still needs work on, along with overall defense.

“We need to work on our defense and just not turning the ball over as much,” Prostine said.

Simpson stands at 1-1 on the season and has its next home game against Grand View on Dec. 8.