Pedersen had 18 points and 12 rebounds, hitting 8-of-11 shots from the floor. Guard Chris Nelson had 17 points, hitting four 3-point buckets in six tries, and forward Scott Huisman had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Central (6-17) was in control most of the night but had a few anxious moments late in the game. The Dutch were up 43-28 at intermission and built the lead to as many as 23 points in the second half before Faith Baptist (14-12) climbed to within 10 in the closing minutes.
“We played 34 minutes of good basketball, the kind of basketball I like to watch,” coach Mike Boschee said. “I was a little disappointed in the way we finished the game. But give credit to the guys. They found a way to get a win we badly needed.”
Central won by dominating the glass, outrebounding Faith Baptist 41-18, holding a 28-6 edge in the first half. The Dutch shot 52.7 percent from the field to 44.6 percent for Faith Baptist.
Central is back in Iowa Conference action the rest of the way. Central journeys to Dubuque Wednesday to take on Loras College before closing the regular season Feb. 19 with a home clash with Coe College.