-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Jordan Engbrecht of Iowa Central shoots over Kirkwood on Wednesday

The Iowa Central women’s basketball team saw first-hand just how good top-ranked Kirkwood is this year.

Behind hot shooting in the second and third quarters, the Eagles were able to cruise home with a 85-39 victory here Wednesday night inside Hodges Fieldhouse.

Kirkwood shot 50 percent from the field in the second half, outscoring Iowa Central 48-21.

“We hung around there early on,” ICCC head coach Kelly Kruger said. “We just didn’t stay in it long enough to really make Kirkwood feel any pressure.”

Paige Bradford scored a game-high 16 points, with Kemara Watson adding 15 on perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the floor. Delani Harris added 13 and four more Eagle players scored either nine or eight points.

The Tritons (9-7 overall, 1-2 in the ICCAC) overcame a slow start that saw them fall behind by as many as 11, cutting the deficit to eight in the second quarter before the Eagles went on another big run.

“We’ve just got to have better all-around effort,” Kruger said. “But we’ll move on to the next one now because that’s all you can do.”

Iowa Central’s Auriyah Stewart scored 10 points and Mardaeja Cross added eight with eight rebounds. Aaliyah Hull and Jordan Engbrecht each scored five.

The Tritons were playing without the services of Fort Dodge Senior High grad Justice Crooks. The sophomore suffered a foot injury this past weekend at Iowa Western.

In the first half, Kirkwood forced 13 turnovers that resulted in nine points, while also holding an 8-1 advantage in second-chance points. The Eagles finished the game plus-16 on points off turnovers and plus-12 on points in the paint.

Next action for the Tritons will be Saturday when they head to Creston to face Southwestern. Tip is set for 1 p.m.

KIRKWOOD 85, IOWA CENTRAL 39

Iowa Central — Aaliyah Hull 3-9 0-0 6, Isabell West 2-5 0-0 4, Auriyah Stewart 4-15 1-2 10, Mardaeja Cross 4-10 0-0 8, Jordan Engbrecht 2-8 2-2 6, Anni Cummings 0-6 0-0 0, Amya Milligan 0-1 0-0 0, Kae’la Jackson 0-1 0-0 0, Jhordyn Chalmers 0-0 4-4 4, K’Breonna Collins 0-1 0-1 0. Totals: 15-56 8-10 39.

Kirkwood — Paige Bradford 6-7 3-3 16, Tatia Hodges-Johnson 0-5 0-0 0, Ju Gaston 3-6 0-1 8, Amara Lipsey 3-5 0-0 9, Marissa Metz 3-8 0-0 8, Delani Harris 5-7 0-0 13, Jheda Kennedy 1-6 0-0 2, Kortney Drake 3-7 2-2 9, Addison Rath 1-3 0-0 2, Natalie Tomaszewski 1-4 1-2 3, Kemara Watson 6-6 3-4 15, Britney Smith 0-5 0-0 0. Totals: 32-69 9-12.

Halftime score: Kirkwood led 37-18. Three-point goals: Iowa Central 1-15 (Stewart), Kirkwood 12-32 (Bradford, Gaston 2, Lipsey 3, Metz 2, Harris 3, Drake). Total rebounds: Iowa Central 41, Kirkwood 38. Assists: Iowa Central 7, Kirkwood 20. Blocked shots: Iowa Central 2, Kirkwood 4. Steals: Iowa Central 4, Kirkwood 11. Turnovers: Iowa Central 26, Kirkwood 12.