Opening on the road with three rookie starters led to predictable but nonetheless disappointing results for the Central College women’s basketball team Monday night. The Dutch stumbled out of the gates, falling behind 17-2 in the first 5 minutes and tumbled at Grinnell College, 80-66.

Central hit just four-of-21 first-quarter shots (19.0%) and trailed 21-14. Grinnell (2-0) stretched the advantage to 47-36 at intermission.

Central leaned heavily on its most experienced player, two-time all-conference guard Kelsea Hurley, who posted a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The other veteran in the starting lineup, forward Kassidi Steel had 11 points and six boards.

Freshman center Allison Van Gorp had 10 rebounds in just 21 minutes in her collegiate debut while adding seven points. The other freshman starters, guards Alayna Akiona and Hannah Dau combined for just eight points. The Dutch struggled from long range, hitting only 4 of 27 3-point tries (14.8%).

Central travels to Cedar Rapids for a pair of neutral-site games in the Coe College Tournament this weekend. Friday the Dutch meet Augustana College (Ill.) at 5 p.m. before meeting Westminster College (Mo.) Saturday.