Central falls in opening game of the NCAA Division III men's basketball tournament

The Dutch finish their season 17-12

by Peter Leithauser

St. Louis, Mo. (03/10/2025) — It was a tale of two halves as the Central College men's basketball team lost to the University of Washington-St. Louis 82-75.

"It was a well-played game, and our guys did a great job throughout the game," said coach Joe Steinkamp. "We were really good on offense for the majority of the game but in the second half they were able to cause some turnovers. I couldn't be more proud of how our guys played and competed."

In the first half, the Dutch (17-12, 9-7 American Rivers) went into halftime with a 35-28 lead. Central shot 53.8% from the field and the Bears shot 33.3%.

In the second half, Washington-St. Louis shot 20-for-28 (71.4%) from the field and 5-of-11 from three-point range while scoring 54 points. Central shot 59.1% from the field scoring 40 points but it was not enough to keep up with the hot shooting opponent.

Joshua Van Gorp (5th-year, Pella, Pella Christian HS) scored 39 points on 16-of-20 from the field while also collecting 11 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season. He also played for 39 minutes.

"I am so proud of this team for how they played this year, we had a lot of fun this season," Van Gorp said. "My time here has been everything you could ever ask for."

Karson Wehde (sophomore, Ankeny) scored 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. He added six rebounds, two assists and one steal while playing 35 minutes.

Owen Schipper (freshman, Waukee) scored 10 points of his own while also dishing out five assists to lead the team. He added eight rebounds and one steal playing all 40 minutes.

Kaleb Brand (5th-year, Mount Vernon) scored three points and added four assists, and Grant Uecker (freshman, Urbandale) added eight points and two assists.

For the game Central shot 56.3% from the field and 42.1% from three compared to Washington-St. Louis which shot 50.8% from the field and 33.3% from three. The Bears were able to score 19 points off of Central's turnover and outscored Central 31-8 with points off the bench.

"We played as hard as we could, but Washington-St. Louis is a great team," Wehde said. "Playing in this tournament is something you dream of, and I am so proud of how we played."

With this loss the memorable, and record-breaking season comes to an end for the Dutch. Van Gorp finished with 1991 career points, which stands as the new record. Brand finished the season with 158 assists to set the new singe season assist record. Along with the records making the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

"What these guys built is bigger than basketball. These guys have set a great culture with their actions, and I am excited about the future of the program," said Steinkamp.

Joshua

Van Gorp