Pella, Iowa -- 1/29/25-Central College Women's Basketball vs Simpson. Photo by Dan L. Vander Beek

Making the trip to Dubuque Saturday, the Central College basketball teams split a doubleheader at Loras College that was heard live on 92.1 KRLS. The Dutch women’s squad snapped a 4-game losing streak with a 68-59 win over the Duhawks, while 40 points from center Joshua Van Gorp wasn’t enough for the men’s team to overcome a 95-88 defeat.

In the women’s game, Central’s starters carried the load offensively by scoring 56 of the team’s 68 points, with Gabby Moore leading the way with 19 on 7-11 shooting. Emily Naughton scored 14 points and added four rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Abby Johnson had nine points, CeCe Moore had eight, and Hannah Dau had six. Off the bench, Samantha Scott and Bailey Reding both scored six points. As a team, the Dutch (12-10, 5-8 American Rivers) shot 47.2% from the field and 43.5% from three-point range, and also collected 15 assists. Central held Loras to 40% from the field, 32% from three, and forced 17 Duhawk turnovers. With the win, the Dutch surpassed last season’s win total and reached the most wins in a season since 2019-2020.

In the nightcap, the Dutch men took a 47-37 lead into halftime by shooting 60% from the field, but couldn’t contain Loras in the second half. Out of the intermission, the Duhawks shot 54.5% from the field and 8-16 from three-point range to score 58 points. Van Gorp collected his 14th double-double of the season, adding 11 rebounds to his 40 points, while connecting on 17 of his 22 shots from the field. Owen Schipper added 13 points and five assists, and Karson Wehde also had 13 points. Kaleb Brand just missed a double-double, posting a team-high 10 assists to go along with nine points. As a team, Central shot 57.9% from the field and 38.9% from three-point range compared to Loras who shot 50.8% from the field and 37.5% from three.

Both Central basketball teams have a bye in conference play on Wednesday, and will return to the court next Saturday for a home league doubleheader against Dubuque at 2 pm.