A three-point basket by Chris Lehman opened the scoring for the Central College men’s basketball team, and set the tone for the rest of the night, as the Dutch used hot outside shooting to bury Bethany Lutheran 86-56 last night in Pella; in a game broadcast live on 92.1 fm KRLS.

After a pair of cold outside-shooting performances to open the season, guard Demarco Turner put down 6-of-13 shots from long range; finishing with 23 points to lead the Dutch.

Central head coach Mike Boschee said it was great to see Turner put up a strong night, adding that the team’s performance overall – and the play of his other starting guard – was just as important.

“I was really pleased. I think we shared the ball very well. I didn’t think we took very many – what I’d call – ‘bad shots’ or contested shots,” said Boschee.

“Brock Caves maybe didn’t score as much, but I thought he was outstanding tonight. [He was] just finding people, setting the tone defensively, helping out on the boards…he was into the game without scoring. That’s something he’ll need to do all year long.”

On the night, Central shot 53.4 percent from the floor – including 44.1 from three-point range – racing out to a 47-24 halftime lead, and keeping their distance throughout the second half.

Nick Marinkovich came off the bench to score a career-best 13 points for the Dutch, and Jacob Winkler chipped in 11 points in a reserve role as well. Starting forward Jack Bruns led a strong rebounding effort for Central, collecting eight rebounds. Central’s defense also played well, holding the Vikings’ leading scorer – Alex Weldon – to 13 points.

The win improves the Central men’s record to 2-1 overall. The Dutch continue non-conference play on Saturday, when they’ll burn off the Thanksgiving calories in a home contest with Eureka.