The Central women’s basketball team was back in action Monday afternoon, hosting Fontbonne in the first game out of Christmas break. Despite a slow start, the Dutch were able to grind out a 65-62 victory.

Fontbonne raced out to a 14-0 lead to start the game, only for Central to cut it to 19-16. That was followed by an 8-0 run by the Griffins, which was answered with an 11-0 run by the Dutch. The teams played evenly the rest of the half, as Central led 34-32 at the break.

That trend continued for much of the second half, as the teams were tied at 62 with 14 seconds left. But Central was able to hit free throws to seal the victory.

Carson Fisk led the way with 18 points. Kelsea Hurley followed with 16, while Kendall Brown added 14. Central improves to 8-3 overall, and returns to conference play Saturday, hosting Coe. That game is scheduled for a 2:00 p.m. tipoff, and will be broadcast live on 92.1 KRLS.