WAVERLY, Iowa - The fourth ranked Wartburg women's basketball team came away with a victory on senior night when they took down Central College 63-50 on Wednesday, Feb. 24 inside Levick Arena. The Knights have now won the past 17 games against the Dutch and have come away victorious in 35 of the last 38. 

Up next, the Orange & Black (12-1, 5-1 A-R-C) will play host to No. 14 Simpson College (7-0, 6-0) on Monday, March 1 at 5:30 p.m. inside Levick Arena in a pivotal matchup that will decide first place in the conference. 

It was a sloppy start to the contest for both programs as the score stood at four apiece six minutes into the game. The Knights started to get in a groove as the frame progressed and were led by senior forward Payton Draper who tallied five first-period points. Wartburg held the Dutch to just two made field goals and held a 7-2 advantage on points-off-turnovers. The Orange & Black went on a 10-3 run to end the frame and took a seven-point lead into the second period. 

Both teams got going in the second when each shot over 40% from the field. Central was able to get within one point of the Knights behind a strong performance from guard Kelsea Hurley who recorded 10 points in the period. Wartburg weathered the storm and pulled away once more when they jumped out on a 12-2 run down the stretch. Freshmen Sara Faber and Jaedon Murphy scored a combined 10 points in the frame and shot 50% from the field. The Knights went into the break with a 10-point advantage.

The Clear Lake, Iowa native Faber added another five points in the third and the Knights grew their lead to 18-points. Wartburg's defense repeated its first-period dominance when they allowed just two made field goals and held Central to a shooting percentage of 18.2% from the floor. The Knights went a perfect 6-of-6 from the line and entered the final period with a comfortable 18-point advantage. 

Wartburg put on the cruise control in the fourth and eased its way to its fifth straight victory. With the win, the Knights are now a perfect 8-0 inside Levick Arena with a scoring margin of 32.9. The Knights were led by Waverly native Draper who reached double figures in scoring for the sixth time in the past seven games with 11. Freshman Faber also totaled double figures with 10 points. Senior guard Ally Conrad paced the team in rebounds with 10 while freshman Britney Young recorded a team-high four assists. 

The Knights honored seniors Conrad, Riley Murphy, Maddie Busch, Bailey Naig, Kaitlyn Volesky and Draper after the contest. The 2021 senior class has led Wartburg to an overall record of 95-10 and a 50-4 ledger in A-R-C play with a trio of conference championships and conference tournament titles. The class has also appeared in three NCAA tournaments including one Final Four run and two trips to the Elite Eight.