Central traveled to Dubuque Saturday afternoon to take on Loras College in a women’s and men’s basketball doubleheader and were swept by the Duhawks. The Central women’s team fell 96-75, while the men’s team was defeated 98-59.

While it was a losing effort for the Dutch in the women’s game, a 37-point third-quarter eruption sparked some hopes for the young Central squad against a solid Loras team. After trailing 43-23 at intermission, Central shot 80% from the field in the third quarter and was six of eight from 3-point range to pull within as close as eight. Leading the charge was a breakout shooting performance by senior guard Emma Wright who had played just 36 minutes in Central’s first nine games and scored just three points. Wright drilled six 3-pointers, including four in the third quarter leading to a career-high 18 points. Freshman center Allison Van Gorp scored a team-high 20 points while junior guard Kelsea Hurley had 19. The Dutch have been hampered by injuries and illness but are nearing full strength ahead of their next game. Central dropped to 2-8 on the year overall and 1-4 in American Rivers Conference play with the loss. 

The Central men’s team was dominated on the glass in their loss to Loras on Saturday. After an encouraging offensive showing Wednesday in an 80-75 loss to American Rivers Conference leader Wartburg, Central was outscored on second-chance opportunities 29-3 as Loras had 19 offensive rebounds and held a commanding 43-20 rebounding advantage overall. 17 Dutch turnovers also led to 22 Duhawks points. Sophomore Center Joshua Van Gorp led Central with 13 points and senior guard Kade Terrell added 11 for the Dutch. Central’s record fell to 3-10 overall and 0-5 in American Rivers Conference play following the loss.

Central travels to Storm Lake Wednesday for a women’s and men’s doubleheader at Buena Vista University.