News Release

DECORAH, Iowa — DECORAH—A career-high 29 points by center Clint Driftmier failed to translate to victory for the Central College men’s basketball team Wednesday as Luther College prevailed 72-63 in Iowa Conference action.

Driftmier eclipsed his 28-point effort against Dubuque Jan. 4, hitting 10 of 15 shots from the floor while also grabbing eight rebounds.

But Luther (9-7 overall, 3-4 conference) countered with a 28-point night from guard Andy Rump. The Norse came from behind with 51.9-percent second-half shooting. That allowed Luther to overcome a 40-30 Central rebounding advantage.

Central (7-7 overall, 2-5 conference) was down by eight points in the first half but whittled the gap to 26-25 at halftime. A five-point flurry by Driftmier gave the Dutch a 47-39 edge with 13:40 remaining, but Luther answered with a 12-4 burst for a 51-50 lead with 8:48 left. A jumper by forward Taylor Phipps knotted the scored for the eighth time at 61-61 with 3:13 left, but it was all Luther the rest of the way.

Phipps contributed 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds while guard Zak Clark also scored 12 with five assists, despite a subpar shooting night.

Central has dropped four in a row and must remain on the road in attempting to begin a turnaround, traveling to Indianola Saturday to face Simpson College in a 4 p.m. game. The women’s-men’s twinbill will be broadcast by KRLS-FM (92.1) and also can be accessed at www.kniakrls.com. Simpson was a 77-72 overtime winner at Dubuque Wednesday. Central edged the Storm at Pella 87-85 Jan. 7.