PELLA, Iowa – Grinnell College's women's basketball team dug itself into a hole early on and couldn't quite claw its way out as the Central College Dutch came away with a 68-48 season-opening victory Friday night. 
 
The Pioneers saw plenty of players achieve career-bests, including Aidan Coalson '22 with 10 points and eight rebounds. Kathryn Stender '21 also had 10 points and a career-high 11 boards, while Mikayla Kricfalusi '20 grabbed 11 rebounds and scored a career-best eight points. Sofia Ahooja '22 had a team-best four assists, which is tops for her career. Ahooja also had three steals, while Tyria Heath '21 scored eight points. 
 
Grinnell had a tough night shooting, hitting just 22.1 percent of its shots from the field including 13.6 from 3-point range.  
 
A jumper by Kricfalusi brought the Pioneers within 3-2 in the early going, but the hosts took off with a seven-point run on their way to a 21-8 lead by the end of the first period. The Pioneers were down by 14 late in the second period but cut the halftime gap to 11 when a free throw by Kricfalusi and two from Kate Tomczik '22 made it 36-25. 
 
Stender scored in the paint to start the third period to make it a nine-point game at 36-27, and Grinnell again made it a nine-point game at 43-34 on Ellie Gubrud's '22 basket with 5:03 left in the third period to make it 43-34. 
 
However, Central closed out the quarter with a 10-point run to lead 53-34 entering the final quarter. The Pioneers never got closer than 13 points in the fourth period as Central went on to win. 
 
Grinnell travels to Lincoln, Neb., next Friday to face Nebraska Wesleyan University. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.