GALLATIN, TENN.—A 14-point second-half run carried the shorthanded Central College men's basketball team to a 76-68 win over Heidelberg University (Ohio) Friday in the Music City Classic in suburban Nashville, Tennessee.
Down 46-37 with 17:18 left, the Dutch (9-2) held Heidelberg scoreless for the next 3 minutes, 14 seconds while surging to a 51-46 lead. The Student Princes (7-3) tied the game twice in the final minutes but Central never trailed again. Defense was the difference, coach
Joe Steinkamp said.
"Defense and rebounding really fueled our transition game," he said. "
Kole Tupa (senior, Center Point, Center Point-Urbana HS) hit a timely three late, we were able to get
Joshua Van Gorp (senior, Pella, Pella Christian HS) free and we got some of their big guys in foul trouble that helped during that run."
Central was playing without 6-foot-10 shot blocker
Grant Johnson (5th-year, Waukee, Van Meter HS) who remains sidelined by injury, but the Dutch still rejected 13 shots.
Van Gorp stepped up yet again, playing more than 36 minutes in racking up his sixth double-double of the season and 13th of his career with 26 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.
"He's in such great shape," Steinkamp said. "He can do things he wasn't able to do in previous seasons. And he went up against one of the best big guys on our schedule today (6-10 senior Eric Panning). He really did a great job of just sticking with it."
Van Gorp, who is averaging 21.7 points and 11.5 rebounds a game while shooting a sizzling 67.5% from the field, climbed within striking distance of becoming the 32nd player in program history to score 1,000 career points. He enters Saturday's game with North Park University (Ill.) with 988.
But also playing a big role Friday was guard
Kaleb Brand (senior, Mount Vernon) who scored 23 points on 9-of-12 shooting, including some rim-rattling dunks in transition. Tupa added a game-high five blocks.
Point guard
Drew Edwards (5th-year, Eden Prairie, Minn.) navigated Heidelberg's aggressive full-court pressure and passed out 10 assists to go with five rebounds.
"They really pressured us early in the game and got us kind of out of sorts," Steinkamp said. "We had to go to some stuff that we haven't really used too much this year. It was really fun to see us score in different ways."
The Dutch also got some valuable minutes from their bench.
"We got some good contributions from
Will Henricksen (junior, Cedar Rapids, Marion HS) and
Nolan Brand (senior, Mount Vernon)," Steinkamp said. "They gave us some hustle plays and second-chance opportunities."
Heidelberg led for nearly half the game, which was tied eight times. Central was down 23-12 after the opening 11 minutes and still trailed 36-35 at the break.
"Heidelberg is a really good team," Steinkamp said. "We did a really good job in transition and just weathering all of their storms. I think we saw the toughness and leadership of our team. They're so resilient and they just kept battling."
Central has an 18-hour turnaround before taking on North Park University (Ill.) Friday at 11 a.m. North Park is coming off a Sweet 16 appearance in last year's NCAA Division III Tournament. The Vikings have taken on a brutal schedule but improved to 5-9 with a 73-53 romp past Alfred University (N.Y.) earlier Friday.
"They've got a lot of guys back from their Sweet 16 team," Steinkamp said. "They've had a brutal schedule and lost some close games against good teams but have really rebounded recently. They beat Hope (Mich.) last week and had a big win today so it will be a great test for us. It will be a different style; they're a pressing, athletic, fast-paced team."
Central hasn't met North Park since the teams' memorable NCAA tournament meetings in the late 1970s during the Vikings' run of three consecutive national championships. The Dutch have won once in the teams' previous three games, all of which were played at North Park in Chicago.
