DECORAH — The Central College women's basketball squad shot 46 percent in the second half Wednesday night, but it wasn't enough to overcome its slow start, dropping the 2016 Iowa Conference opener 65-39 to Luther.
The Dutch (3-9, 0-1 conference) hit just 4-of-27 shots in the first two periods, a 15 percent clip, including 1-of-9 from behind the arc, resulting in a 33-10 halftime deficit.
"We really struggled offensively in the first half," coach Chelsea Petersen said. "We got ourselves in a hole and it was too much of a deficit to come back from."
Central turned the ball over 17 times in the first 20 minutes, leading to 16 Norse (9-3, 1-0 conference) points.
"We turned the ball over too many times against Luther's press," Petersen said. "This game came down to our turnovers and the poor shooting in the first half."
Shots started to fall for Central in the second half, going 11-for-24 from the field. After trailing by 23 points at the half, the Dutch hung tight, as Luther outscored Central by just three in the third quarter and the teams played to a 16-16 draw in the final frame.
"We were able to execute our defensive game plan tonight," Petersen said. "To hold Luther to 65 points on their home court is a great effort. "
Central finished the contest 15-of-51 shooting and 3-for-15 from 3-point range. The Norse outrebounded Central 43-35 in the contest.
"We need to rebound better out of our zone on the defensive end," Petersen said. "We also gave them too many offensive rebounds tonight."
Sophomore forward Jackie Kriegel (Marengo/Iowa Valley HS) had a season-high 13 rebounds, tying a career best. She added six points.
"Jackie was huge for us on the boards," Petersen said. "She was really active in our defense and rebounded extremely well."
Sophomore guard Jessica Helton (Nevada) was the leading scorer for Central, knocking down 6-of-8 shots for 13 points. She tacked on four rebounds and two assists.
"Jessica played with a lot of energy," Petersen said. "She played with that effort the entire game and I'm proud of the way she finished."
Petersen also cited the work of freshman guard Kristin Hubert (Moville/Woodbury Central HS). Hubert had three rebounds and two assists in 14 minutes.
"Kristin came off the bench and gave us a spark," Petersen said. "She has limited experience and I think she was really instinctive."
The Dutch will look for their first conference win Saturday at Wartburg, a 2 p.m. tilt with the Knights. Central dropped both meetings to Wartburg last season.
"We were able to see where we're at as a team tonight," Petersen said. "We will get back to practice tomorrow and prepare for a very talented Wartburg team."
