The Duhawks, 15-5 overall, are 11-0 in the league and in firm command of the conference race with a three-game advantage.
Central (8-12 overall, 5-7 conference) struggled out of the blocks and trailed 16-6 at the 11-minute mark of the first half. The Dutch were further hampered when Driftmier had to sit out with foul trouble.
Loras led at intermission 41-32 and held a double-digit lead the rest of the way.
Driftmier, limited to four points in the first half, had 18 second-half points. He was 11-of-15 from the field and had six rebounds. He climbed into ninth place on Central’s career scoring charts with 1,144 points, one point better than Matt Melvin (1986-90).
Guard Miguel Ley had 16 points while guard Zak Clark added 15 with six assists and five rebounds.
Loras outrebounded Central 36-28 and outshot the Dutch from the field 49.1 percent to 44.8 percent. Luke Slater had 20 points for the Duhawks, who drilled 13 of 24 3-point shots (54.2 percent).
“Loras is a good ballclub,” coach Mike Boschee said. “They’ve got great balance and just don’t have many holes.”
Central was hurt by its slow start, he said.
“Clint (Driftmier) was on the bench for a lot of the first half. That makes it difficult for us. We need some other guys to step up, be confident and make plays.”
Central is at home again Friday, taking on Wartburg College in a women’s-men’s doubleheader with the men’s contest starting at 8 p.m. at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium. Central surprised the Knights 83-69 Jan. 3 at Cedar Falls. Wartburg is 9-13 overall and 3-11 in the league after a 69-63 win over Dubuque Saturday.
Newspaper Box Score Loras College vs Central College 2/3/07 4 p.m. at Kuyper Gym, Pella, Iowa At Kuyper Gym, Pella, Iowa LORAS COLLEGE 76, CENTRAL COLLEGE 65 LORAS COLLEGE (15-5, 11-0 IIAC) SLATER, Luke 7-9 2-2 20; WHITE, Kyle 5-9 4-7 16; KOLZE, Ricky 5-9 3-5 15; CENTELLA, Brian 3-6 0-0 8; PARKER, Rex 2-5 0-0 5; BRADEN, Scottie 2-6 0-0 5; CONRAD, Pat 1-4 0-1 3; SEAQUIST, Matt 1-2 0-0 2; OETH, Jake 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 27-55 9-15 76. CENTRAL COLLEGE (8-12, 5-7 IIAC) DRIFTMIER, Clint 11-15 0-1 22; LEY, Miguel 6-11 3-4 16; CLARK, Zak 5-15 4-4 15; MEYER, A.J. 1-3 0-0 3; MADSEN, Justin 1-1 0-0 3; PEDERSEN, Keith 1-3 1-1 3; DeHOOGH, Brett 1-6 0-0 2; LANG, Sim 0-3 1-2 1; DAVIDSON, Preston 0-0 0-0 0; LEUSCHEN,Jordan 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-58 9-12 65. Loras College................. 41 35 - 76 Central College............... 32 33 - 65 3-point goals-Loras College 13-24 (SLATER, Luke 4-5; KOLZE, Ricky 2-3; WHITE, Kyle 2-2; CENTELLA, Brian 2-3; PARKER, Rex 1-3; BRADEN, Scottie 1-4; CONRAD, Pat 1-3; OETH, Jake 0-1), Central College 4-22 (LEY, Miguel 1-5; MADSEN, Justin 1-1; MEYER, A.J. 1-2; CLARK, Zak 1-6; LEUSCHEN,Jordan 0-1; LANG, Sim 0-3; DeHOOGH, Brett 0-4). Fouled out--Loras College-None, Central College-None. Rebounds-Loras College 36 (WHITE, Kyle 10), Central College 28 (DRIFTMIER, Clint 6). Assists-Loras College 19 (WHITE, Kyle 4; OETH, Jake 4; SLATER, Luke 4), Central College 14 (DeHOOGH, Brett 6; CLARK, Zak 6). Total fouls-Loras College 14, Central College 20.