Central’s offense was stagnant on Wednesday night up in Dubuque in their first Iowa Conference test of the season on the hardwood. The Dutch women trailed by double-digits and a late rally came up just short in their 58 – 55 loss to the Spartans. Free throws continue to be a thorn in Central’s side; they went just 18-for-32 at the charity stripe. For only the second time this season, Kenzie Vander Molen led all Central scorers with 19 points. The Dutch drop to 9 – 3 overall. On the men’s side, Central got out to a 22 – 10 lead in the first half before the Spartans countered with a 20 – 2 run and eventually pulled away with a victory over the Dutch, 79 – 63. Colby Taylor’s 30-point, 15 rebound effort was bested only by Dubuque’s Andre Norris, who came up with 32 and 14, respectively. Central shot just 8-of-32 from the perimeter, and they drop to 7 – 5 overall, each team is 0 – 1 to begin league play. They are next at home on Saturday to take on Luther, in a doubleheader that can be heard live on 92.1 KRLS and KNIAKRLS.com.