WAVERLY — An early back-and-forth game between the Central College women's basketball team and nationally-ranked Wartburg College turned into a lopsided 78-41 defeat for the Dutch Saturday.

Central (8-7 overall, 1-5 Iowa Conference) trailed the No.9-ranked Knights 14-11 after the first quarter but Central never overcame the deficit.

"I thought we played a good first half," said coach Chelsea Petersen. "We played 15-16 good minutes during the first half. We went cold from the perimeter and that's something that we have to improve."

Sophomore forward Claire Marburger (Perry) led the Dutch with 18 points and five rebounds and junior guard Emily Dine (Oldsmar, Fla., East Lake HS) had 10 points and four rebounds.

"I thought Claire had a solid game," said Petersen. "She played within herself today and didn't force things."

Wartburg won both the rebound 35-31, the Knights also outshot the Dutch 47.1 percent to 30.2 percent from the field. Central wasn't able to get the 3-point offense going, shooting 2-for-20 from beyond the arc.

Central hosts Nebraska Wesleyan Monday night for a women's-men's doubleheader with the women beginning at 6 p.m. at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium. Nebraska Wesleyan (8-6 overall, 2-4 conference) is a new member to the Iowa Conference. The Prairie Wolves are coming off a 76-66 home victory over Dubuque.

"We are excited about playing at home on Monday night," said Petersen. "We have great leadership on this team and the team will be ready to go Monday night."