Pella, Iowa -- 2/25/25-_Central College Men's Basketball vs Coe_ARC. Photo by Dan L. Vander Beek

The Central College men’s basketball team opened the American Rivers Conference Tournament with a 99-83 win against Coe College Tuesday night. It was the first home conference tournament win for the Dutch men since 2014.

Central led 48-44 at halftime after shooting 54.3% from the field and 7-of-12 from three-point range. In the second half, the Dutch shot 65.2% from the field and held Coe to 40.5%, leading to a 51-39 second half score. Joshua Van Gorp led the team with 30 points, shooting 11-of-13 from the field, while also recording eight rebounds and two assists in playing all 40 minutes of the game. Owen Schipper secured his second double-double of the season by scoring 24 points and collecting 10 rebounds, while shooting 8-of-11 from the field and 6-of-8 from three. Kaleb Brand broke the single-season assist record with six assists, bringing his season total to 144, and added 12 points in the win. Grant Uecker came off the bench and earned his first career double-double scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Bradley Curren was the fifth Central player to reach double figures, scoring 11 points while also dishing out four assists. For the game, Central shot 58.6% from the field and 64.7% from three, while holding Coe to 41.3% from the field and 30% from three.

The win advanced the Dutch into the conference tournament semifinals, where they’ll travel to the University of Dubuque on Thursday for a 7 pm game.