WAVERLY - The Wartburg men's basketball team snapped a four-game losing skid with a 97-88 victory over Central College inside Levick Arena Saturday afternoon.
The Knights' 97 points stands as a season-high while the team improves its overall record to 8-12 and 4-7 within the American Rivers Conference.
Wartburg compiled a season-best 37 made field goals, shooting over 50 percent from the field. In addition, the home team shot 9-of-28 from long-range. The Dutch also had solid shooting marks, over 50 percent from the field and beyond the arc, including 13 three-point made field goals. The difference lied with a 13-4 Wartburg lead in second chance points along with 25 Wartburg points off Central turnovers.
Ryan Stulken led the Knights with a career-high 19 points, recording his second double-double of the season with a game-high 11 rebounds. Four of five starters scoring in double figures, as
Tyler Zumbach tallied 16,
Jack Molstead had 12, along with 10 from
Max Smith Drahos.
Drew Olson provided solid minutes off the bench while pacing the defense with a career-high five steals. Molstead notched a season-high with a game-high six assists.
While the Orange & Black headed into the locker room leading 44-40 at halftime, a second-half push solidified their victory. Wartburg shot nearly 60 percent in the final 20 minutes (19-of-32), holding a 2:1 ratio in rebounds coupled with a 32-16 lead in points in the paint.
A string of seven-straight made baskets by the Knights, headlined by a Stulken fast break dunk and capped off by a Molstead three-pointer 6:20 into the second half granted Wartburg its largest lead of the game, as the 24-14 run set the score at 77-60 in favor of the home team.
Wartburg maintained at least an eight-point lead for the remainder of the game, again gaining a 17-point advantage after a pair of Zumbach free throws with just over seven minutes left.
Next week, Wartburg heads on the road to Decorah on Wednesday, Feb. 5 to face Luther College prior to a bye on Saturday.
