Cold shooting and turnovers kept the Iowa Central men from beginning 2022 with a win.

The Tritons dropped a 70-44 decision to North Iowa Area here Wednesday night inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

After building a 43-32 halftime advantage, the Trojans (11-4 overall, 2-2 in ICCAC) continued to apply pressure. NIACC went up by 23 midway through the second half, forcing 30 turnovers and turning them into 34 points. 

"You cannot expect to win games at this level when you turn the ball over that much," Iowa Central head coach Chad Helle said. "Plain and simple. It just doesn't happen."

Josh Baker scored 14 points with six rebounds, while Kevin Taylor added 10 and six boards. Javonte Keck and Kyler Matthias each had nine points.

The two teams exchanged buckets and the lead through the early portion of the first half before the Trojans gained control, taking a 42-32 lead into the break. From there, NIACC continued to apply pressure, scoring eight of the first 10 after the intermission.

Myles Tucker led four players in double figures for the Trojans with 16. Jeffrey Skogen had 12, Jacques Kelly 11 and Devon'dre Mayfield 10. Skogen and Mayfield went a combined 10-for-11 from the field as NIACC shot 48 percent as a team.

"We didn't do a good enough job of getting back in transition," Helle said. "Over our last few games, we were smart with the ball and smart on defense. We didn't execute well enough to make this a game and it showed."

Iowa Central returns to action on Saturday when they travel to Cedar Rapids to meet 14th-ranked Kirkwood at 3 p.m.

-By Dana Becker