After edging Luther College in double overtime just 10 days ago, the Central College men’s basketball team saw its season cut short in the opening round of the Iowa Conference tournament Tuesday night, suffering a 63-60 defeat.

Unlike the last meeting, Central was unable to come up with the clutch plays. The Dutch held a four-point advantage with 8:34 left in the game but the Norse rattled off an 11-3 run that included three 3-pointers to go up 53-49. The Dutch were within two with just over two minutes remaining but couldn’t finish the shot while Luther hit seven-of-nine free throws. Luther advances to meet regular-season champion Coe College at Cedar Rapids in the semifinals Thursday.

Guard Nick Marinkovich led the Dutch with 14 points, while. forward Jacob Winkler had 13 points and 7 rebounds. Forward Jack Bruns grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds. The loss ends Central’s season at 18-8, the second highest win total since the 1979-80 season.

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