Fueled by a 32-9 run that spanned much of the first half and into the third quarter, the eighth-ranked Iowa Western women topped Iowa Central here Saturday inside Hodges Fieldhouse, 86-54.

Playing short-handed, the 18th-ranked Tritons were able to start fast, taking an early lead. 

The Reivers, though, flexed their depth and muscle, taking over in the second and never looking back.

For Iowa Central (19-2 overall, 9-2 in ICCAC), Nevaeh Moeschter and Nevaeh Galloway each scored 12 points, with Carley West adding 11 and Autumn Dykstra 10. Emma Scurek had 10 rebounds and Galloway blocked four shots with six boards and two steals.

"Our kids fought and battled out there," Iowa Central head coach Brian Ortmeier said. "We knew it was going to be tough playing without Taylor (McKinney) and Ashley (Fountain). We had to do a few things differently.

"Early on, we were able to get out, but their size wore us down."

Mary Delgado had a game-high 18 points to lead Iowa Western (12-6, 9-2), with Aleshia Jones scoring 14. Ruba Abo Hashesh and Courtney Fields each had 12. 

The Reivers used a 25-point second quarter to gain control of the contest and also held a plus-14 edge in points in the paint. They also tallied 29 points off turnovers and received 50 bench points.

"Hopefully we can take some positives away from this," Ortmeier said. "Things didn't go our way, but we kept playing hard."

Jayden Frank added seven points with eight rebounds, while West and Moeschter each had three steals for the Tritons. 

Iowa Central returns to action on Monday when they head to Marshalltown for a makeup contest. Tip is set for 5:30 p.m.

-By Dana Becker