Photo by Paul DeCoursey Royshawn Webb scores for Iowa Central on Wednesday against Kirkwood inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

Fourth-ranked Kirkwood flexed its might in the second half here Wednesday night, opening up a 26-point lead on Iowa Central.

But just when it seemed as if the Eagles were going to coast to a victory in the ICCAC opener for both programs, the Tritons found a rhythm.

Kirkwood did make enough free throws late to prevail inside Hodges Fieldhouse, 101-94.

Doug Wilson, who has signed with South Dakota State, scored a game-high 32 points, with 26 coming in the second half. Devonte Thedford added 19 and Luke Appel 14 for the Eagles (9-1 overall, 1-0 in league).

“We wanted to make someone else beat us outside of Wilson, and Thedford stepped up for them,” ICCC head coach Dennis Pilcher said. “But I give our guys a lot of credit. We didn’t play great (last Friday), but we came out here and battled back against a very good team. We held our own on the boards and we made Kirkwood earn it.

“It might not have been a victory, but we really learned a lot about ourselves in this one.”

Kemryn Jenkins scored 26 to lead the Tritons (6-5, 0-1), with Dallas Bailey posting 17 points and eight rebounds. Royshawn Webb added 16, Jesse Moss 14 and Jacorian Dalton 12.

Both Webb and Dalton grabbed seven rebounds each, as the undersized Iowa Central roster matched Kirkwood with 41 team rebounds.

“Royshawn played a great game,” Pilcher said. “With Collin (Shannon) out, we moved him to the point and he stepped right up. We got a lot of really good play from several players, including Jacorian, off the bench.”

The Tritons fell behind 49-36 after the opening 20 minutes, as they were just 2-for-14 from the three-point line. In the second half, Iowa Central sank seven triples, but Kirkwood made 19 of 23 shots from the free throw line to seal the victory.

Appel, a former Marshalltown standout, had 10 rebounds and five assists, with Wilson adding seven boards, three assists and three blocked shots. Connor Kasperbauer, a transfer from Truman State, chipped in nine points.

Iowa Central will try to snap a four-game losing skid when they face Northeastern this Friday afternoon at the Reiver Classic in Council Bluffs. The Tritons are not back at home again until the new year when they host Iowa Western on Saturday, Jan. 5.

KIRKWOOD 101, IOWA CENTRAL 94

Iowa Central — Kane Kramer 1-4 0-0 2, Royshawn Webb 7-16 1-3 16, Dallas Bailey 5-11 7-7 17, Kemryn Jenkins 8-19 7-8 26, Jesse Moss 4-13 2-3 14, Aspen La Pointe 0-0 0-0 0, Jaden Kephart 1-1 0-0 2, Austin Jarvis 2-2 0-0 4, Jacorian Dalton 6-9 0-2 12. Totals: 34-75 17-23 94.

Kirkwood — Seybian Sims 0-0 1-2 1, Allante Pickens 4-8 0-0 10, Connor Kasperbauer 3-8 0-0 9, Doug Wilson 13-19 6-8 32, Luke Appel 5-8 3-5 14, Devonte Thedford 5-9 9-12 19, Griffen Clark 1-1 0-0 3, Jamal Stephenson 2-6 0-0 5, Niko Gosnell 3-6 2-2 8, Kyle Arrington 0-2 0-0 0. Totals: 36-67 21-29 101.

Halftime score: Kirkwood led 49-36. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 9-30, Kirkwood 8-20. Total rebounds: Iowa Central 41, Kirkwood 41. Steals: Iowa Central 4, Kirkwood 2. Assists: Iowa Central 11, Kirkwood 12. Blocked shots: Iowa Central 1, Kirkwood 4. Team fouls: Iowa Central 20, Kirkwood 24. Fouled out: Bailey. Turnovers: Iowa Central 10, Kirkwood 10. Points off turnovers: Iowa Central 9, Kirkwood 17.