Box Score PELLA—With the lead seemingly swaying in each possession, the Central College men's basketball team couldn't connect on its final four shots and Bethany Lutheran College (Minn.) snuck away with a bruising 77-73 non-conference win Tuesday.
           
The Dutch (9-4) got 25 points and eight rebounds from center Joshua Van Gorp (senior, Pella) but had 17 turnovers and uncharacteristically held just a 43-42 advantage on the boards. Central entered the day leading the NCAA Division III with a plus-15 rebounding margin.
           
"It was a really physical game with a lot of contact," coach Joe Steinkamp said. "They did a really good job of pressuring us and we had 17 turnovers, which is just too many."
           
There were 19 lead changes in the game, which the Dutch led at the half 34-32.
           
Central, still operating without injured forward Grant Johnson (5th-year, Waukee, Van Meter HS), got a boost off the bench from guard Will Henricksen (junior, Cedar Rapids, Marion HS), who had a career-high 19 points. Guard Kaleb Brand (senior, Mount Vernon) added 17 points while forward Kole Tupa (senior, Center Point, Center Point-Urbana HS) had 12 rebounds and seven assists. Guard Drew Edwards (5th-year, Eden Prairie, Minn.) had seven assists and four steals.
           
"I thought Josh (Van Gorp) still had a good game, even with the pressure, when we were able to find him in there," Steinkamp said. "Kaleb (Brand) was able to get out in transition a few times and made some big plays. And Will Henricksen gave us a lift off the bench, he really sparked us, especially in the first half when we really needed it. He's a really good shooter so I was happy to see him hit those threes. But at the end of the day, we just didn't get enough defensive rebounds to be able to win the game."
           
Henricksen's bucket with 1:36 left gave Central its final lead, 71-70, but the team's only additional points came on a pair of Henricksen free throws following a Bethany Lutheran technical foul with 35 seconds remaining.
           
Meanwhile Bethany Lutheran forward Mason Ackley went off for 31 points on 13-of-20 shooting. The Vikings (10-3) were 5-of-10 from 3-point range in the second half.
           
"He really got cooking," Steinkamp said. "He's a really nice player. He's typically not that kind of 3-point shooter but when those are going, then he becomes really hard to guard and he had a night."
           
Central returns to American Rivers play Saturday against Loras College at Dubuque as part of a women's-men's doubleheader. The men's game starts at 4 p.m. Loras is among the conference title contenders with a 2-1 record and an 11-1 overall mark. The Duhawks first take on Buena Vista Wednesday night at Storm Lake.
           
"I need to watch the film and kind of get back to basics," Steinkamp said. "Loras is a great all-around team and a really good rebounding team so we need to make sure we are focused to go out there and get a win like did last year."