DECORAH — Central College junior forward Colby Taylor (Creston) came one point from his fourth-career 30-point game, racking up 29 points and 16 rebounds in an 88-74 men's basketball victory over Luther Wednesday night.
Taylor hit 9-of-18 shots and knocked down nine of his 11 free throw attempts. He brought down nine defensive boards and seven on the offensive end for his fifth double-double this season and the 17th of his career. Taylor added three assists and a block.
"Colby really brought it tonight," coach Craig Douma said. "He was a matchup problem for them (Luther) and used his ability to go inside out to his advantage."
Central (10-2, 1-0 Iowa Conference) outshot the Norse (1-11, 0-1 conference) 47 percent to 40 percent and grabbed 42 rebounds to the Luther's 35. The Dutch turned 13 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points. The Dutch made 12 of their 34 3-point attempts, a 35 percent clip.
"Any win on the road in the Iowa Conference is a great win," Douma said. "Obviously, we still have some things we need to do better on the defensive end, but we found a way to win."
The Dutch led 47-41 at halftime before pulling away down the stretch, outscoring Luther by 14 points in the final 12:30 after the game was knotted at 56. Central's final basket at the 1:05 mark put them ahead by 14, its largest lead of the contest.
"I was proud of the guys for making plays down the stretch when we needed it," Douma said. "It's important to gain that confidence."
Douma thought the second half was a better representation of his team.
"We played better defense and had different guys step up on the offensive end," he said. "We hit some timely 3-pointers and rebounded the ball much better."
Senior guard Austin Hauser (Marshalltown) poured in 11 points for Central on 4-of-8 shooting, tacking on three assists and a steal.
"Austin is playing well right now," Douma said. "He has been shooting the ball well over the past few games. He knows his role and knows when to shoot."
Sophomore guard Kyle Smith (Ionia/New Hampton HS) tied a career high for the second consecutive game with 17 points. He added five rebounds and an assist.
"Kyle has been great off the bench for us," Douma said. "He's perfect for our style of basketball. He can score in many different ways and the sixth man role fits him well."
Central will travel to Waverly Saturday for a 4 p.m. conference contest with Wartburg. The Dutch are looking for their first 2-0 start in league play since 2012. Central knocked off the Knights twice in the regular season last year before a 77-71 loss in the opening round of the conference tourney.
"Starting conference play with two wins would be huge," Douma said. "Wartburg is coming off a loss tonight so they will be ready for us. They will challenge our defense, but our guys will be excited."
