The offenses for the Central men’s and women’s basketball teams seemingly could night find a rhythm on Saturday in a pair of defeats at the hands of Buena Vista. A strong Buena Vista defense forced 24 Dutch turnovers in a 63 – 52 final in the women’s contest. Central was just 8-of-26 from the field in the first half, and were held in check in the second half due to foul trouble. The Beavers shot 19 free throws in the third quarter alone, and held on to win despite a paltry 8-for-28 showing from the field in the last 20 minutes. Coach Joe Steinkamp credits Buena Vista’s defense for wreaking havoc on the team’s offensive schemes.
Jessica Helton led all Central scorers with 18 points, Emily Dine put in 11, and Jackie Kriegel grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. Central falls to 2 – 8 in league play and 7 – 12 overall.
The Dutch men had a nine-point first half lead evaporate in an onslaught of Beaver offense in BV’s 93 – 81 win over Central. Buena Vista raced out to a 16-point advantage midway through the second, but Central came back to knock it down to eight. Seth Wood got a steal and appeared to be fouled on the fast break and Central’s backboard rattled in a block attempt that was also not whistled for defensive goaltending. A frustrated Craig Douma was hit with a technical foul which practically put the game away for Buena Vista.
Malik Wildermuth led all scorers with 21 points, as Central drops to 8 – 11 overall and they fall to 5 – 5 in the conference. It’s back to action on Wednesday for the Dutch when they welcome Loras College into town for a doubleheader.