The Iowa Central men were unable to find their rhythm here Wednesday night, falling to 12th-ranked Des Moines Area, 74-55.

The Bears (8-3 overall, 1-0 in ICCAC) were led by Noah Parcher, as the Northern Michigan transfer scored 20 points. Joe Blair had 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench, while Goanar Bilew added 10 and nine.

For the Tritons (5-6, 0-1), Kevin Taylor scored 17 points with six rebounds and Javonte Keck added 16 and five.

"We're just in a funk on the offensive end right now," Iowa Central head coach Chad Helle said. "When we are able to move the ball and get good, open looks, they just aren't falling for us. I feel like it's something we'll snap out of here if we just keep working hard and listening."

The Bears raced out to a 12-2 lead before Iowa Central was able to gain some traction. DMACC continued to fire away, going up 27-12 and taking a 43-26 advantage into the break.

Parcher had 11 in the first 20 minutes with Bilew and Greg Brown each adding six. The Bears dominated the boards, holding a 52-31 advantage on the glass and were plus-20 on points in the paint.

"We knew they had the size advantage," Helle said. "That's just something we are going to have to deal with most nights. We've got to play harder and play smarter to overcome are weaknesses."

Midway through the second half, the Tritons clamped down on the defensive end, holding the Bears scoreless for several minutes with the score sitting at 52-39. However, they were unable to chip into the deficit.

Jordan Majeed had seven points, Kael Stulo five, Josh Baker four with eight rebounds and three steals, and Jaxon Smith three points.

Iowa Central returns to action this Saturday when they play Dakota County for a second time in Minnesota. Earlier this year, the Tritons fell to Blue Knights, 76-74.

Prior to tip, former Iowa Central head coach Dennis Pilcher presented a scholarship in his name to current Triton basketball player Jett Pinneo.

-By Dana Becker