PELLA, Iowa - Kailey Jones tallied her ninth double-double of the season with 23 rebounds and 22 points as the Luther women's basketball team defeated Central 82-71. With the win the Norse secured the no.6 seed for the upcoming American Rivers Conference tournament. Luther outscored the Dutch 30-15 in the fourth quarter to claim victory in the regular season finale. Luther is now 11-14 overall and finish A-R-C regular season with a 6-10 record. 

Coming into the game both teams were tied with a 5-10 conference record so everything was on the line for both teams. Central jumped out to quick three-point lead in the opening 45 seconds of the game but Jones answered on the other end with a layup in the paint. Later with 2:46 to go in the first, the Dutch pushed their advantage to 15-7. Then the Norse went on a 8-4 run with Amelia Solum hitting a three as time was expiring. 

In the second quarter, Central was up by six at 8:44. Luther erased the deficit as Jones and Jordan Rubie scored seven points claiming a 22-21 lead. That lead didn't last long as the Dutch took back lead 25-24 with 5:35 left. Central tacked on to their advantage bringing it to 38-30 with 1:44 to go before halftime. Luther scored the final four points of the half with Jones and Chelin Isaacson. The Dutch had a 38-34 lead going to the locker room. 

The Dutch were ahead 46-40 with 6:13 remaining in third but then the Norse went on a 5-0 run pulling within one. However, Central answered right back with a 8-2 run of their own. With 1:22, Isaacson brought the game within one possession down 54-52. The Dutch grabbed the last points of the half for a 56-52 lead heading into the final quarter. 

It was all down to the final quarter as one team would claim the final spot in the postseason tournament. The Dutch were ahead 59-54 before Kate Hosking hit back-to-back three pointers. The two teams batted over the next minute and half as Central tied it at 65 with 5:54. Then Jones put the Norse ahead 68-67 with 4:10 left in the contest. Luther remained in control the rest of the game both offensively and defensively to secure the 82-71 victory. The Norse shot 43.7 percent from the floor along with 50 percent from beyond the arc and 83 at the line in the fourth.

Luther as a team had 61 rebounds. The Norse also dominated the paint with 34 points. 

TOP NORSE

• Jones set season highs in rebounds and points with 23 and 22 respectively. She was also one rebound shy of tying her career record of 24 which she set last season against Central. 
• Hosking 15 points and team high two blocks.
• Rubie and Haylie Strum each chipped in 12 points. 
• Isaacson and Solum recorded eight points. 

UP NEXT
Luther travels to no.3 seed Coe on Tuesday, Feb. 20 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. for the first round of the A-R-C tournament.