PELLA —Unleashing a 3-point shooting assault, the Central College men's basketball team erupted for 58 second-half points and rocked Wartburg College 101-75 Saturday.
After missing 12 of 16 3-point tries in the first half, the Dutch (15-8 overall, 6-6 Iowa Conference) knocked down 13-of-22 in the second half (59.1 percent). Their 17 3-point buckets overall were just three shy of the school record of 20 set against Martin Luther Dec. 6, 2014.
Point guard Trashawn Boyd (sophomore, Normal, Ill., University HS) had a career-high 22 points, hitting 5-of-7 3-pointers while passing out four assists with no turnovers. The Dutch placed six players in double figures in topping the century mark for the first time this season. Forward Kyle Smith (sophomore, New Hampton) had 15 points, forward Colby Taylor (junior, Creston) had 13, forward Austin Glawe (junior, Aurelia, Sioux Central HS) had 12 and guards Jacob Hay (sophomore, Stanwood, North Cedar HS) and Pete Walker (junior, Red Oak)each had 10.
Central trailed 24-23 with 6:38 left in the first half, but finished on a 19-8 burst for a 43-31 advantage at the break. The Dutch quickly broke it open in the second half, stretching the lead to 57-37 in the first 3:24.
"We didn't shoot the ball very well in the first half but we really defended, we rebounded the basketball and we got to the foul line," coach Craig Douma said.
"It was just a matter of time before we would explode and shoot the ball well. The guys did that tonight. We really spread it out--we had six guys in double figures--and the reason why is we got ball movement and we got ball reversal. We made them defend."
It was the kind of effort Douma was looking for after a pair of league losses, including a dismal 94-75 setback at home against Buena Vista Wednesday.
"The guys responded after Wednesday's loss," he said. "We got back to playing the style of basketball we'll hopefully play the rest of the year."
Douma also cited a player not in double figures, center Ryan Kunkel (junior, Solon), who had a game-high 13 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.
"I thought Ryan was excellent on the offensive boards," he said. "Those were huge. We challenged Ryan to get back to playing the way he was before. He really took a step in the right direction tonight."
Central dominated Wartburg (13-10 overall, 6-6 conference) on the glass, 45-29. The Dutch also forced 19 turnovers.
"It was just a fun night to play," Douma said. "The guys showed some urgency. This was a big step forward for us in the conference."
Central moved into a tie with Wartburg for fourth place in the standings as teams jockey for position in the six-team league tournament. The Dutch close the regular season with back-to-back trips to Dubuque, meeting Loras College at 8 p.m. Wednesday in a women's-men's twinbill and first-place Dubuque Saturday. Central was a 72-61 winner over Loras at Pella Jan. 16. The Duhawks are tied with Simpson for second place in the conference at 7-5 and are 12-11 overall after escaping Buena Vista at Storm Lake Saturday, 73-71.
