The 16th-ranked Iowa Central women knocked off the preseason rust here Monday night, opening the season with a 67-50 victory over Mount Marty JV inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

Carley West, one of five returning players with starting experience from a team that reached the national tournament in the spring, scored a game-high 22 points with seven steals and four assists. 

Nevaeh Galloway, Autumn Dykstra and freshman Jayden Frank each added seven, with Kayla Griffith chipping in six. Galloway and Ashley Fountain each had six rebounds. 

"For that first game, I thought we got rid of some of the nerves and jitters," Iowa Central head coach Brian Ortmeier said. "It felt like when we were patient and moved the ball, we got good looks and good shots. We had some moments when we got a little quick on offense.

"But our defense was strong and that is a good indicator with the season just starting."

The Tritons (1-0 overall) jumped out to a 21-14 lead and pushed the advantage to 32-18 at the half thanks in large part to pressure defense. Iowa Central had 28 points off turnovers and outscored the Lancers 38-6 inside the paint.

In the second half, the lead grew to 25 on a West three as the Tritons continued to push forward.

"Overall for the first game, I thought we played pretty well," Ortmeier said. "We were able to limit turnovers and played smart on offense."

For Mount Marty, Tatye Kohn had 14 points and Macy Kempf added 11. 

Iowa Central turns right back around and hosts Graceland JV at 5 p.m. Tuesday night.

-By Dana Becker