Central men’s basketball team wins third straight
Central College
FULTON, MO. — The Central College men’s basketball team jumped out to an early lead and never looked back in a 91-68 road victory against Westminster College (Mo.) Tuesday.
The Dutch (5-1) led from the start and opened up a double digit lead against the Blue Jays (1-6) in the game’s first five minutes. Central never trailed and took a 45-29 advantage to the locker room at halftime. Coach Craig Douma said Central’s play on the defensive end of the floor allowed them to take the early lead.
“In the first half we did a great job of disrupting their offensive flow and kind took them out of what they wanted to do,” said Douma.
Four Dutch players were in double figures including guard Nile Eckermann (senior, Cosgrove, Clear Creek Amana HS), who led all scorers with 21 points. He continued his hot shooting from beyond the arc, making six of his nine attempts Tuesday.
“Nile had a great game,” said Douma. “He was really efficient tonight. He picked his spots and let the game come to him.”
Other Central players in double figures included forward Colby Taylor (sophomore, Creston) with 17, guard Aaron Rosenstiel (senior, Oelwein) with 16 and forward Kyle Newendorp (senior, Pella) with 12. Taylor led the Dutch in rebounds (seven), assists (eight) and steals (three).
Brandon Moore was just shy of a double-double for Westminster, scoring 18 points and grabbing nine rebounds.
Douma was pleased with how his team played in its first road game since the lone loss of the season at Wis.-La Crosse.
“I’m really happy with the way the guys played on the road tonight,” said Douma. “It was a long road trip. The guys did a great job of executing the game plan.”
One area the Dutch will look to improve upon moving forward is rebounding. The Blue Jays held a 35-30 advantage on the boards Tuesday.
“We have to rebound the ball better this weekend,” said Douma. “We didn’t rebound very well tonight.”
The Dutch will travel to Davenport Friday and Saturday to play in the St. Ambrose Shootout. Central will take on St. Ambrose (8-2) Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Mount Mercy (9-3) Saturday at 1 p.m.
