PELLA, Iowa - The Luther men's basketball team concluded the 2023-24 campaign with a 77-62 loss to Central on Saturday. Leading the Norse was
Ben Gill who tallied 15 points. Luther finishes the year 7-18 overall and 2-14 in the American Rivers Conference.
The Dutch raced out to a 7-0 lead before
Jeremy Andera got the Norse on the board with back-to-back jumpers at 13:29. Central saw its lead swell to 12 for a 22-10 advantage with 5:04 before the break. Then
Carlos Goicoechea hit two three pointers pulling Luther within six. This time the Dutch went on 10-3 run to close the half for a 32-19 lead at halftime.
In the second half, Central was still on top but the Norse were inching closer when Gill hit a layup down 39-28 with 15:36 to play. Then the Dutch went on a 10-point run before
Tim Mewborn ended the run at 12:34 with a jump shot. Later, with ten minutes to play Central had a 55-38 advantage.
Aidan Bailey hit a three on the next possession cutting the lead to 14 but that would be the closest that Luther would get in the 77-62 loss. However, the Norse shot 59.2 percent from the floor in the second half including 71.4 from beyond the arc and 75 at the charity stripe.
The Luther bench contributed 30 points. Central improves its record to 17-8 overall and 11-5 in A-R-C play.
TOP NORSE
- Mewborn recorded nine points, five rebounds and three assists.
- Goicoechea set a career high of eight points, three rebounds and one block.
- Bailey chipped in seven points, three assists, two blocks and two steals.
