A 10-0 start propelled the Central College women’s basketball team back above the .500 mark with a 69-56 non-conference victory over Roanoke College (Va.) Tuesday.

Competing in suburban Nashville, Tennessee, the Dutch (6-5) got 11 points off the bench from senior guard Kassidi Steel, while guard Abby Johnson and center Allison Van Gorp each added 10 points. Van Gorp also had 13 rebounds for her 15th career double-double and fourth of the season. Central took its 10-point lead in the opening 3 minutes and stretched it to 16-3. Roanoke battled back to take a brief 29-26 lead with 4:48 remaining in the first half, but a bucket by point guard Emily Naughton put Central up 34-33 at intermission. The Dutch opened the second half with an 8-2 burst and never trailed again, leading by as many as 19. Central outshot Roanoke 44.6% to 36.7% on the night and dominated the glass, 47-28. 

Central continues play in its first appearance in the Volunteer State with a 3 p.m. game today against Gallaudet University (D.C.). The Dutch won the only previous meeting between the two schools, 59-57 in Washington, D.C. in 1990.