A battle-tested Central College men’s basketball team went toe-to-toe with the d3hoops.com No. 3-ranked Augustana College (Ill.) Saturday before faltering down the stretch to lose 82-73.

Entering Saturday’s matchup, Central had the NCAA Division III West Region’s second highest strength of schedule.

Central raced out to a 38-32 halftime lead, but was outscored 50-35 in the second half. Augustana controlled the glass with 45 rebounds, including 12 offensive boards.

Central was led offensively by Kyle Smith with 18 points, three rebounds and three assists. Smith joined the 1,000-point club at Central during Thursday’s victory over Faith Baptist College.

The Dutch drop to 3-7 on the season, and after taking time off for Christmas, they’ll wrap up the non-conference portion of the schedule with a trip to Las Vegas December 29-30 for the D3Hoops.com Classic. The Dutch face No. 6 Ramapo College before ending the trip with a tilt against Pacific Lutheran.