MANKATO, MINN.—Breaking open a tight game after the first quarter, Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.) outscored the Central College women's basketball team 81-57 Saturday.
A 3-point bucket with 11 seconds left in the second period pushed Bethany Lutheran to a 19-15 advantage and the Vikings took command with an 18-9 second quarter before erupting for 25 points in the third period.
"It was a tough road game and we're going to see that," coach
Moran Lonning said. "It's a good test before the conference season gets rolling again, but we're seeing glimpses of really good basketball and we're going to keep building off of that."
Central guard
Kelsea Hurley (senior, Scottsdale, Ariz., Desert Mountain HS) had 17 points and a pair of assists while guard
Samantha Scott (sophomore, Davenport, North Scott HS) had 14 points and four rebounds. Guard
Hannah Dau (sophomore, Paullina, South O'Brien HS) had four assists and guard
Danae Greig (senior, Albany, Ore., West Albany HS) had six rebounds.
Central (3-8) was outshot 45.1% to 29.4% from the field.
"(Bethany Lutheran) shot really well but we didn't make them very uncomfortable, either," Lonning said. "We can improve that as well as the fact that we missed some shots that I think we will normally make."
Bethany Lutheran (3-7) outrebounded Central 48-40 but the Dutch had a 15-13 edge in offensive boards. And Central made some progress at the free throw stripe, hitting 71.4% (10-14).
The Dutch had to make the long trip after a week of fall semester exams. But they break for Christmas before traveling to Westminster College (Mo.) for 5 p.m. non-conference game Dec. 30. The Blue Jays took a 4-5 record into a Saturday evening game at Monmouth College (Ill.). Central was trimmed by Wesminster 70-57 last year in a neutral-site contest at Cedar Rapids but holds a 3-2 lead in the teams' series.
"I think the break will be good to reset and then come back a little bit refreshed and hungry," Lonning said.
