As the old saying goes, the fifth time’s a charm. After dropping four straight to their rival Simpson, the Central men’s basketball team ended the Storm’s season on Tuesday, beating them 76 – 66 in the first round of the Iowa Conference tournament.

Despite shooting just 2-for-14 from outside the arc in the first half, the Dutch used a 12 – 0 run to build a ten-point lead, but led by just one going into the locker room. Key steals and even better positioning on rebounds allowed Central to begin the second half on a 12 – 0 run and hold a 16-point advantage with 11:15 to go.

Simpson would get as close as six later in the game, but Central responded and shut down the Storm the rest of the way.

Coach Craig Douma says there wasn’t just one person that stood out to him as far as effort in the second half.

Each team had four players in double figures; Central was led by both Colby Taylor and Pete Walker’s 14 points, while Simpson had a game-and-career high from Conor Riordan, who scored 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Central also out-grabbed the Storm on the boards, 41 – 31, another big Coach Douma key to victory.

Central is now 15 – 11 overall, and their season’s heart continues to beat into Thursday when they head to Lincoln to play the conference champion Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves, who, like Simpson, swept Central in the season series this year. That game will tip-off at 7:00 p.m.