The Storm picked up a win in the conference-opener against Dubuque, but it wouldn’t come easy.

With a supportive crowd and coaching staff, the Storm pulled through for a win over Dubuque, 82-75.

The Spartans powered to an early lead in the first half. Reining Iowa Conference scoring leader, Taylor Blum, poured in 29 points and led the Spartans in a tight battle against the Storm.

Freshman Eric Lande went 4-for-4 from the field in only 10 minutes of play. This brought the Storm back within striking distance at halftime.

The Spartans took a three-point lead after a pair of free throws, which made the score 72-69 with 3:50 to go.

Trailing 75-73 with less than two minutes left in the game, senior Matt Fouch knocked down his third 3-pionter of the game from the left corner. The Storm held Dubuque scoreless the rest of the way, picking up its first win in an Iowa Conference opener since 2005.

Junior Seth Hutcheson scored a team-high 15 points, followed by sophomore Elijah Knox with 13, and Matt Fouch with 11. Hutcheson also snagged 10 rebounds under the hoop. Knox also stepped up to make four assists and two blocks.

The men’s basketball team faced a tough come-from-behind fight against the Kohawks on Saturday, but foul trouble and 3-pointers was enough to keep Coe afloat. The Storm fell 68-75 to the Kohawks.

The first half of the game stayed close in scoring, with Simpson ending the period down one at 29-30, but when the second half rolled around Coe’s Alex Tatman helped lead the Kohawks to an 11-point lead. The Storm held on due to a final push late in the second half led by sophomore Elijah Knox.

Senior JJ Vanderheiden and Junior Seth Hutcheson both completed clutch three-point plays that tied the game and brought the Storm back within three near the game’s close.

Despite Simpson having 10 steals by the end of the second, Coe’s 32 percent 3-point shooting and last second free throws kept the Storm from coming out on top.

Junior Stefon Brown was Simpson’s second top scorer with 16 points, and JJ Vanderheiden and Seth Hutcheson tied for third with nine.