The Central College men’s basketball team returned from a short holiday break to compete in the D3hoops.com Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada on Monday. In their first of two games at the tournament late Monday night, the Dutch used a complete team effort to down Occidental (Calif.) 82-69.

As a team, the Dutch shot a staggering 53% from the field on the offensive end of the floor, while limiting the Tigers to just 36% shooting from the floor on the defensive end. Central also dominated in the paint throughout the contest, outscoring Occidental 46-30 in that area of the game. Kyle Cason led a balanced scoring attack for the Dutch, making 11 of his 16 shots to record 26 points. Owen Schipper chipped in a double-double, posting 18 points and 10 rebounds. Grant Uecker and Alex Ruba also reached double figures in the win, with each recording 13 points. 

Central improves to 6-5 overall on the season with the victory, and they will have a quick turnaround, facing Bridgewater State (Mass.) today in Las Vegas at 4 pm Pacific Time.