Simpson loses at Central

PELLA, Iowa – Nile Eckermann had 25 points, Colby Taylor pulled down 21 rebounds and Central beat the Simpson men's basketball team 60-46 on Saturday afternoon.

Taylor added 12 points for the Dutch (11-10, 4-6 Iowa Conference), who swept the season series with Simpson thanks in large part to a 52-37 edge on the boards.

Reserves Ryan Skaar and Cody Good led the Storm (6-15, 1-9). Skaar had 16 points, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from 3-point range, and Good added seven points.

Central led for the duration, pulling away with an 11-4 run over the final 8:11 of the first half. A layup by Austin Turner had pulled Simpson within four before the run, which gave Central a 29-18 lead at halftime.

Simpson got out slow in the second half, spotting Central the first eight points. A Cort Singleton layup stopped the streak, but Central had opened up a 37-20 lead. The lead remained in double digits the rest of the way.

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Simpson hosts second place Dubuque on Wednesday, Feb. 11. The Spartans (17-4, 7-3) beat Coe 87-66 on Saturday. Dubuque won the season's first meeting 96-60 in Dubuque.