INDIANOLA, Iowa – Junior Bryton Kukowski (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown) poured in a career-high 21 points and grabbed six rebounds, but the UW-Superior women's basketball team dropped a 77-70 decision to 13th-ranked Simpson in non-conference action at Cowles Fieldhouse on Saturday.
 
Kukowski shot 9-for-17 from the floor and 3-of-5 from the free-throw line in 27 minutes to help the Yellowjackets stay with the Storm most of the day. Senior Kaelyn Christian (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville Senior) chipped in with 10 points, four boards and four steals while classmate Mady Sanders (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) scored nine with six rebounds.
 
UWS (2-1) played even with Simpson in the second quarter, trailing by just eight, 40-32, at halftime, and outscored its host in the final 10 minutes, 18-14.
 
Haley Rasmussen scored a game-high 22 points, including four 3-pointers, leading three Simpson starters in double figures. Anna Wanek and Molly Lutmer combined for 53 points with Wanek going for 16 on 5-of-16 from the field.
 
Kukowski cut the deficit to 25-22 with a layup at the 6:18 mark of the second quarter before Simpson used a 6-0 run, capped with a Rasmussen free throw, to gain separation. Rasmussen then gave her team its first double-digit lead at 34-24 on a trey with less than four minutes to play before intermission. The advantage grew to 12 points prior to an Allie Zimmer (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) triple and Sam Parendo (Proctor, Minn./Proctor) layup sliced it 37-30 with 52 seconds remaining in the half.
 
Sanders converted on a three-point play in the early stages of the third quarter to shave the margin to 40-35, but another Rasmussen 3-pointer, coupled with Wanek foul shots, pushed it back to 10 points with less than two minutes off the clock.
 
Junior Erika Mattson (Ely, Minn./Ely Memorial) collected a Parendo miss with 24 seconds remaining in the third quarter to send UWS into the final period down, 63-52.
 
Rassmussen's layup at the 7:45 mark, gave Simpson (2-2) its largest lead of the day at 70-54, but Superior outscored the Storm 13-7 the rest of the way for the final tally, which included a Kukowski bucket at the buzzer.
 
Simpson shot 45 percent from the floor and limited the 'Jackets to 38 percent, while causing 21 turnovers. UWS turned the Storm over 26 times and collected 17 steals.
 
Superior next heads to UW-Stout Tuesday at 7 p.m.