PELLA, Iowa (Interstat) — CeCe Moore scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Central (IA) defeated Grinnell 63-51 in a women’s NCAA Division III basketball game Wednesday at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium. The Dutch improved to 2-1 overall. The Pioneers fell to 0-1 overall. Central led 31-17 at halftime and 41-34 through three quarters. Central never trailed and led throughout. Attendance was 125.

Moore, a forward, finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and one assist in 31 minutes. Emily Naughton added 14 points, three rebounds and four assists in 32 minutes. Ava Wu of Grinnell had 16 points, three rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes. McKenzie Snook posted six points, 12 rebounds and two assists in 29 minutes. Sydnee Hopkins contributed seven points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 26 minutes. Nora Lynch of Grinnell recorded 12 points, one rebound, three assists and one block in 29 minutes. Megan Walters had two points, seven rebounds, one assist and one block in 21 minutes. Freya Alberg added four points, one rebound, one assist and one block in 17 minutes. Lydia Smith finished with three points, three rebounds and one assist in 13 minutes. Aubree Spitzner had seven points and three rebounds in 25 minutes.

Central (IA) shot 21 of 55 from the floor, 8 of 30 from three-point range and 13 of 19 from the free throw line. Grinnell shot 21 of 65 from the floor, 6 of 25 from beyond the arc and 3 of 7 from the line. Central had 13 offensive rebounds, five assists, four blocks, 18 turnovers, 26 points in the paint and 15 points off turnovers. Grinnell had nine offensive rebounds, 10 assists, four blocks, 14 turnovers, 24 points in the paint and 23 points off turnovers. Grinnell scored 51 points from 73 possessions and had an offensive rating of 69.6. Central scored 63 points from 69 possessions and had an offensive rating of 91.3.

Central opened the game with an 8-0 run that included a 3-pointer from Moore at 8:33 of the first quarter, a Moore layup and a Naughton 3-pointer. Grinnell answered with a Freya Alberg jumper at 5:07, but Central pushed its lead to 17-8 after one quarter as Sydnee Hopkins made a 3-pointer, Kaylee Buerman made a free throw, Gracie Foster hit a 3-pointer and Hopkins made two free throws. In the second quarter, Wu made a jumper for Grinnell, but Foster and Moore each made 3-pointers and Emily Naughton added a floating jumper and a free throw as Central took a 31-17 advantage into halftime. After Central pushed its lead to 36-17 early in the third quarter, Grinnell answered with a 12-0 run. Walters made a layup, Lynch made a driving layup, Roque made a jumper off a turnover and Lynch made two 3-pointers to cut the lead to 36-29. Central answered with a Lainey Duggan hook shot and a Naughton 3-pointer around a Wu layup, and Central entered the fourth quarter ahead 41-34. Grinnell pulled within 44-41 on a Wu driving layup with 7:07 remaining, but Central responded with a Moore turnaround jumper, a Maddie Backer layup and another Moore layup to rebuild the lead. Wu made a late 3-pointer and Spitzner added a 3-pointer to bring Grinnell within 59-51, but Naughton made two free throws and Moore added two free throws to close the scoring. Moore’s late free throws sealed the Dutch win.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Grinnell 61, Central (IA) 58. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Central (IA) with an 86 percent probability to win.