A 14-point second-half run carried the shorthanded Central College men’s basketball team to a 76-68 win over Heidelberg University (Ohio) Friday in the Music City Classic in suburban Nashville, Tennessee.

Heidelberg led for nearly half the game, which was tied eight times. Central was down 23-12 after the opening 11 minutes and still trailed 36-35 at the break. Down 46-37 with 17:18 left, the Dutch (9-2) held Heidelberg scoreless for the next 3 minutes, 14 seconds while surging to a 51-46 lead. The Student Princes tied the game twice in the final minutes but Central never trailed again. Defense was the difference for Central, who was without injured 6-foot-10 shot blocker Grant Johnson, as they rejected 13 of Heidelberg’s shots.

Josh Van Gorp stepped up yet again for the Dutch, playing more than 36 minutes in racking up his sixth double-double of the season with 26 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks. Van Gorp climbed within striking distance of becoming the 32nd player in program history to score 1,000 career points. He enters Saturday’s game with North Park University (Ill.) with 988. Also playing a big role Friday was guard Kaleb Brand, who scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Kole Tupa added a game-high five blocks, while point guard Drew Edwards passed out 10 assists to go with five rebounds.

Central is back in action today against North Park University (Ill.) at 11 am. Central hasn’t met North Park since the teams’ memorable NCAA tournament meetings in the late 1970s during the Vikings’ run of three consecutive national championships. The Dutch have won once in the teams’ previous three games, all of which were played at North Park in Chicago.