The Central College men’s basketball team extended its win streak to 11 games with an 81-73 win over Loras College last night in Pella, while the women’s squad was unable to replicate the offensive explosion put together in the previous game; falling 56-45.

In the opener, the Dutch jumped out to an early lead, but the Duhawks defense quickly clamped down on Central’s offense, ultimately holding the Dutch to just 25.5 percent shooting from the floor. Sarah Paulson scored 11 of her team-high 13 points in the early part of the second half to help Central pull the game within two, but the Duhawks put the game away at the free throw line in the closing minutes.

The loss drops the Central women to 5-9 overall and 0-5 in Iowa Conference. They’ll travel to the University of Dubuque on Saturday.

The Central men, meanwhile, weathered a 16-0 run by Loras in the second half of the nightcap; putting together a 12-3 run of their own and shutting the Duhawks down at the other end of the floor. The Dutch had four players score in double figures in the eight-point win, led by Jack Bruns – who had his first double-double of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds – and another strong performance from Nick Marinkovich, who also notched 17 points.

The Central men take a 12-1 overall record and a full head of steam into the University of Dubuque on Saturday to face the Spartans in a battle for first place in the Iowa Conference. Both teams are 5-0 following their respective wins last night.

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