Simpson led by as much as 14 in the second half before the Blue Jays battled back, outscoring Simpson 18-7 midway through the closing frame, cutting the lead to 55-52 on a pair of Nick Michel free throws at the 10:06 mark. After a Simpson timeout, Ryan Hittenmiller connected on a three-pointer to push the Storm lead back to six. Michel scored on a short jumper to make it 58-54, but the Storm used their press to force turnovers on the next two Elmhurst possessions. Jason Soppe made consecutive layups on a Simpson 7-0 run that alllowed Simpson to take an 11-point lead. Elmhurst would get as close as eight down the stretch, but Simpson made six straight free throw attempts. A Parkinson layup with 12 seconds to go allowed the Storm to secure its first opening day victory since 2002.
Parkinson shot 10-for-20 in the game including a 5-of-10 from beyond the three point arc. He has scored 1,006 points in 79 games with the Simpson varsity. Soppe, the Storm center scored 24 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and blocked six shots. Hittenmiller scored 10 points.
Elmhurst was paced by Ryan Burks who scored 22 points. Michael had a double-double, 13 points and 12 rebounds. Brian Lee tallied 16 while Brent Ruch added 14 points and six rebounds.
At Indianola, IA (Cowles Fieldhouse) SIMPSON COLLEGE 82, ELMHURST COLLEGE 71 ELMHURST COLLEGE (0-1) Burks, Ryan 7-13 4-5 22; Lee, Brian 7-13 1-3 16; Ruch, Brent 7-12 0-0 14; Michael, Nick 5-10 2-3 13; Hintzsche, Jared 3-3 0-0 6; Childs, Chris 0-2 0-0 0; Aloisio, Mark 0-2 0-0 0; Brizzolara, Jay 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-55 7-11 71. SIMPSON COLLEGE (1-0) PARKINSON, Jason 10-20 6-10 31; SOPPE, Jason 9-14 6-6 24; HITTENMILLER, Ryan 3-8 2-2 10; DUNLAVY, Tim 3-5 1-2 7; THORSON, Adam 2-3 0-0 5; GILBERT, Matt 1-2 2-2 5; HAWKINS, Lyndon 0-2 0-0 0; CERMAK, Brett 0-2 0-0 0; TRAVIS, Jeff 0-2 0-0 0; TUBAUGH, Brennen 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-59 17-22 82. Elmhurst College.............. 26 45 - 71 Simpson College............... 39 43 - 82 3-point goals-Elmhurst College 6-13 (Burks, Ryan 4-7; Lee, Brian 1-2; Michael, Nick 1-3; Childs, Chris 0-1), Simpson College 9-19 (PARKINSON, Jason 5-10; HITTENMILLER, Ryan 2-5; GILBERT, Matt 1-1; THORSON, Adam 1-2; CERMAK, Brett 0-1). Fouled out--Elmhurst College-None, Simpson College-None. Rebounds-Elmhurst College 32 (Michael, Nick 12), Simpson College 31 (SOPPE, Jason 12). Assists-Elmhurst College 17 (Lee, Brian 7), Simpson College 21 (CERMAK, Brett 7). Total fouls-Elmhurst College 18, Simpson College 15.