Central men’s basketball offense misfires
PELLA—Even with four players in double figures, the Central College men’s basketball lacked the spark it needed in a 79-72 loss to Luther College Wednesday.
It was the regular-season home finale for the Dutch (5-18 overall, 2-12 American Rivers). Up 52-49 with 11:25 left, Central was outscored 11-2 in a pivotal 5-minute stretch.
“We did get some good looks in that stretch,” coach Craig Douma said. “And we had shots at the rim and we just missed them.”
Central shot 41.2% from the field but only 26.7% from 3-point range.
“We played with no pace,” Douma said.
Guard Adam Flinn (junior, St. Louis, Mo., Lafayette HS) had a game-high 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists while guard Sean Kostyk (junior, Cape Coral, Fla., Mariner HS) added 16, guard Jaden Moody (senior, Cambridge, Ballard HS) had 14 and guard Drake Johnson (freshman, Stanton) had 12 with a team-best eight boards.
The Dutch outrebounded Luther 44-37 but committed 17 turnovers.
“You can’t have 17 turnovers in a game like this where there’s no pressure defense,” Douma said. “We were really sloppy and we had been taking care of the ball so well recently.
“We beat ourselves and that’s what’s disappointing.”
Luther (8-15 overall, 4-10 conference) shot 41.0% and put five players in double figures. The Norse bench outscored Central’s 36-2.
The Dutch jumped to a 17-8 lead before Luther staged a 9-2 run. It was 39-37 Central at the half.
Central heads to Lincoln, Neb. to take on No. 6-rated Nebraska Wesleyan University in a women’s-men’s doubleheader Saturday with the men’s game tipping off at 4 p.m. Nebraska Wesleyan overpowered the Dutch 115-69 in the teams’ first meeting Jan. 18 in Pella. The Prairie Wolves are 20-2 overall and 13-0 in the league after a night off on Wednesday.
“Now we’re going to play the No. 6 team in the country,” Douma said. “It’s not about if we win or lose, I want to see some grit and toughness. I want to see who comes out ready to play as a unit, play hard and leave it on the floor. That’s all we care about the rest of the way. It’s about getting better individually, getting better as a team and building for next year.”
