A career-best shooting performance by sophomore KJ Cool lifted the Central College men's basketball team to a 77-70 Iowa Conference victory over Cornell College Saturday night.

Cool knocked down 6 of 8 shots including four 3-point buckets for 16 points in a reserve role as Central snapped a four-game losing streak.

"I thought KJ really shot the ball well," coach Mike Boschee said. "He has it in him. He's done it his whole career. He gave us a spark, but I thought our whole bench did a nice job. They really gave us a lift."

Boschee was even more impressed that the Dutch (7-7 overall, 3-3 conference) placed five players in double figures. That helped overcome a 28-point performance by Cornell guard Ryan Lott.

"I really liked our balanced scoring," Boschee said. "I really didn't feel like anybody cared who scored. They just wanted someone to get a good shot and that's the important thing."

The Dutch hit 54.9 percent from the floor and also connected on 16 of 19 free throws (84.2 percent). Cornell (6-10 overall, 1-6 conference) shot 41.7 percent from the floor.

Guard Demarco Turner and forward James Chapline each had 13 points while forward Chris Lehmann and center Jack Bruns  had 11. Lehmann corralled six boards as Central held a 37-25 rebounding advantage.

"It was good to get a win," Boschee said. "I wanted that really bad for our guys. I think our team is starting to understand the importance of preparation. I hope that focus and preparation continue to get better because it needs to be good on a consistent basis."

Central had to claw back from an early 10-2 deficit, using a 12-5 burst to tie the game at 20-20 with 8:38 left in the half, then staged a 21-6 run in racing to a 41-26 advantage at intermission.

"It was a little frustrating at the start," Boschee said. "We did some things we weren't doing in practice, but I think it was our bench that really snapped us out of it. We did what we have to do—play together, play smart and defend like crazy."

Central has a day off before tackling a big, three-game week starting with a women's-men's doubleheader at the Univ. of Dubuque Monday night. The women's game starts at 6 p.m. with the men's game at 8 p.m. The Spartans are 9-5 overall and 3-2 in the league after an 82-74 victory at crosstown rival Loras College Saturday afternoon.