As important as Wednesday night’s upset of 14th-ranked Des Moines Area was for the Iowa Central women, it meant little if they couldn’t follow it up Saturday.

Behind 20 points from Humboldt graduate Avery Terwilliger, a double-double by Brittany West and 13 points by ex-North Union standout Sarah Rolling, the Tritons did just that, besting Ellsworth here inside Hodges Fieldhouse, 74-58, on Jam-the-Gym day.

Emma O’Donoghue was the fourth Iowa Central (12-11 overall, 4-3 in ICCAC) player in double figures with 10. The Tritons shot 27 of 57 from the field and knocked down nine three-pointers.

“A loss would have meant Wednesday (win vs. DMACC) meant nothing,” ICCC head coach Kelly Kruger said. “We had to follow it up with a win and we were able to do that.

“It was a struggle early on, but give Ellsworth credit because they made it a scrappy, ugly game.”

Terwilliger had 13 in the second half, adding six rebounds to her day. Rolling grabbed five boards and West dished out six assists to go with her 10 points and 11 rebounds.

“Slowly, we are getting there,” Kruger said. “We are starting to play the right way on the court. We just need to keep making improvements each day.

“We are 4-3 in the league with seven to go. What we do with those last seven games will define our season.”

The Panthers (7-15, 1-6) were led by Emily Ferrier, who scored 16 points. Alicia Limones added 13 and Tayla Nulty 12.

“We knew coming in that Ellsworth would try to make it an ugly game,” Kruger said. “They compete and they compete hard. But we hung in there and made some plays. I thought we were resilient. It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but we battled through some adversity.”

The Tritons were playing without Mardaeja Cross, as the freshman suffered a concussion vs. DMACC.

Iowa Central is off until next Saturday when they travel to Cedar Rapids to face No. 2 Kirkwood at 1 p.m.

IOWA CENTRAL 74, ELLSWORTH 58

Iowa Central — Brittany West 3-11 2-2 10, Emma O’Donoghue 4-7 0-0 10, Avery Terwilliger 7-10 4-4 20, Sarah Rolling 4-10 3-4 13, Krissie Okinaka 4-5 1-1 9, Jaylin Carter 1-3 0-0 2, Kira Ward 2-4 1-2 5, Rachel Toto 2-7 0-0 5. Totals: 27-57 11-13 74.

Ellsworth — Tayla Nulty 4-7 0-0 12, Meredith Lincoln 3-12 0-0 8, Emily Ferrier 7-17 0-0 16, Alicia Limones 5-12 3-4 13, Grace Tahahwah 3-9 0-0 7, Cali Viet 1-3 0-0 2, Sydney Nystrom 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 23-61 3-4 58.

Quarter scores: Iowa Central led 18-11, 38-30, 56-46. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 9-24 (West 2-7, O’Donoghue 2-5, Terwilliger 2-5, Rolling 2-3, Toto 1-4); Ellsworth 9-24 (Nulty 4-6, Lincoln 2-5, Ferrier 2-5, Limones 0-1, Tahahwah 1-6, Nystrom 0-1). Total rebounds: Iowa Central 43, Ellsworth 26. Steals: Iowa Central 3, Ellsworth 6. Assists: Iowa Central 18, Ellsworth 14. Blocked shots: Ellsworth 4. Team fouls: Iowa Central 5, Ellsworth 12. Turnovers: Iowa Central 14, Ellsworth 9.