Fast start propels Luther past Central women’s basketball team
Central College
DECORAH — An early lead by Luther College proved to be too much for the Central College women’s basketball team to overcome in a 63-44 road loss Saturday.
The Norse (19-4 overall, 9-3 Iowa Conference) jumped out to a 24-6 lead against the Dutch (9-14, 0-12), and Central’s defense wasn’t able to slow down the Luther offense until after the first 10 minutes of play. The Dutch gave up just 14 points in the 10 minutes before halftime.
“Our team came out today and played extremely well on Luther’s court,” said coach Chelsea Petersen. “We played with great defensive intensity.”
The Norse had trouble knocking down shots unless they were behind the 3-point line. They shot a higher percentage from beyond the arc (35.1 percent) than they did from inside the 3-point line (21.8 percent), making 13 threes Saturday.
“Luther’s shooting percentage from the three was the difference in the game,” said Petersen.
The Central coach liked seeing her team cut down on turnovers while playing against a tough Luther defense. The Dutch committed zero turnovers in the final 10:42 of the first half.
“Our team did a great job not turning the ball over against their full-court pressure,” said Petersen.
Forward Jackie Kriegel (freshman, Marengo, Iowa Valley HS) continued her strong play for the Dutch, scoring eight points and grabbing eight boards.
“I thought Jackie Kriegel played phenomenal today,” said Petersen.
Petersen also liked what she saw out of multiple players who came off the bench late in the game, including guard Emily Dine (freshman, Tampa, Fla., East Lake HS), forward Jessi Butters (sophomore, Kalona, Mid-Prairie HS) and guard Kylie Mack-Garding (freshman, Gilbert, Ariz.).
“Our players off the bench did a great job of being locked in and ready to go,” said Petersen.
Guard Kaitlin Stump (junior, Lancaster, Mo., Schuyler R-1 HS) filled up the stat sheet for Central with eight points, four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Guard Mariah Swartzentruber (sophomore, Kalona, Mid-Prairie HS) made two 3-pointers to run her season total to 55 and move into second place on Central’s single-season list. She is just three shy of tying Allison Cooper’s 1999-2000 season for the most all-time. Swartzentruber finished with six points and four rebounds for Central.
The Dutch were short-handed Saturday, playing without forward Madeline Simmons (freshman, Elkhorn, Neb., South HS), who suffered an injury Wednesday, and their leading scorer, guard Rachel Evans (senior, Fort Dodge), who was on an out-of-state graduate school visit.
Central will return home Wednesday to host Loras (14-9, 8-4) at 6 p.m. The Duhawks defeated the Dutch 72-65 Jan. 17 in Dubuque. A video webcast and live stats of the game will be available through the Central athletics website at www.central.edu/athletics.
